时尚

• Pinyin: shí shàng
• Hanzi breakdown: 时 = 日 + 寺 (time, era); 尚 = 小 + 冂 + 口 (to value, to esteem, esteemed)

Meaning

Fashion; fashionable; trendy. The prevailing style or trend in clothing, lifestyle, and culture.

More neutral and broader than 时髦. 时尚 is used both as a noun (fashion industry, a fashion) and as an adjective (fashionable). Associated with the fashion industry (时尚界, 时尚产业), lifestyle media (时尚杂志 — fashion magazines), and modern living. Collocations: 时尚潮流 (fashion trend), 引领时尚 (lead fashion), 时尚品牌 (fashion brand), 时尚达人 (fashion guru/influencer).

Examples

1. 北京国际时装周汇聚了众多国内外知名设计师，展示了下一季度最具代表性的时尚潮流与创意理念。 Beijing International Fashion Week brings together many well-known designers from China and abroad, showcasing the most representative fashion trends and creative concepts for next season.
2. 可持续环保理念正在重塑全球时尚产业的生产模式，越来越多的品牌开始使用再生材料设计系列产品。 Sustainability is reshaping production across the global fashion industry, and more and more brands are starting to design product lines using recycled materials.
3. 她是公认的时尚达人，对色彩搭配和剪裁风格有着极为敏锐的审美直觉，在业内颇具影响力。 She’s widely recognized as a fashion influencer with an exceptionally sharp eye for color coordination and tailoring, and she has considerable influence in the industry.

Usage Guide

Context: fashion, lifestyle, media, culture, industry

Tone: neutral to positive

Do Say

• 随着国内消费升级，中国消费者对时尚品牌的认知度和鉴赏力显著提升，国际高端品牌纷纷将中国市场列为全球战略布局的核心优先区域。(As domestic consumption upgrades, Chinese consumers' awareness and appreciation of fashion brands have significantly improved, and international luxury brands have been designating the Chinese market as a core priority in their global strategic deployment.)
• 这位年轻设计师将传统刺绣工艺与当代时尚美学融合，推出了一系列既具东方韵味又符合国际审美的原创作品。(This young designer fused traditional embroidery craftsmanship with contemporary fashion aesthetics, launching a series of original works that both carry an Oriental charm and satisfy international aesthetic standards.)

Don't Say

• 时尚 and 时髦 as exact synonyms — 时尚 is more neutral, broader, and industry-level (fashion world, fashion trend); 时髦 is more colloquial and personal (a person or thing that is stylishly up-to-date), and carries a slight playful or ironic undertone

Origin & History

时 (of the time, current era) + 尚 (to esteem, to value — by extension: prevailing taste)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal