神态

• Pinyin: shén tài
• Hanzi breakdown: 神 = 礻+ 申 (spirit, look); 态 = 能 + 心 (manner, attitude)

Meaning

Bearing; expression; the look and manner revealed on a person's face or in their demeanour.

Combines facial expression, posture, and overall manner to give an impression of a person's inner state. Widely used in literary description and in psychological or artistic analysis of human behaviour.

Examples

1. 他站在领奖台上，神态自若，丝毫不见紧张之色。 Standing on the awards podium, he looked completely composed, with no sign of nervousness at all.
2. 孩子发现了礼物盒子，顿时神态兴奋，手舞足蹈。 When the child spotted the gift box, their expression immediately lit up with excitement and they started jumping and waving their arms.
3. 老人讲述往事时神态凝重，眼中流露出复杂的情感。 As the elderly man recounted the past, his expression grew solemn, and his eyes revealed a complicated mix of emotions.

Usage Guide

Context: literature, psychology, everyday observation

Tone: descriptive

Do Say

• 面对媒体的追问，她神态从容，每一个问题都回答得有条不紊。(Faced with reporters' persistent questions, she remained composed, answering each one calmly and methodically.)
• 画家捕捉到了老渔夫劳作后的神态，将疲惫与满足感同时呈现在画布上。(The painter captured the fisherman's bearing after a day's toil, rendering both exhaustion and satisfaction on the canvas.)

Don't Say

• 神态 for inanimate objects — it refers exclusively to the expressive manner of living beings; use 外观 or 状态 for objects

Origin & History

神 (spirit, expression) + 态 (manner, appearance)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal