衬托 (chèntuō) · to set off

衬托 (chèntuō) means “to set off; to serve as a backdrop”. It is written with 2 characters: 衬 (underwear) + 托 (to raise). It is an old HSK 6 word (HSK 2.0).

How 衬托 is built

The characters

衬 chèn · underwear

What 衬 is made of

衤yī — clothing
寸cùn — inch

Origin hint: 衤 gives the meaning, 寸 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

托 tuō · to raise

What 托 is made of

扌shǒu — hand
- 二 — two strokes
  - 一 — horizontal stroke
  - 一 — horizontal stroke
- 亅 — hook
乇tuō — to depend on
- 丿 — falling stroke
- 七qī — seven
  - 一 — horizontal stroke
  - 乚 — hook stroke

Example sentences

绿叶衬托着红花。Lǜ yè chèntuō zhe hóng huā.The green leaves set off the red flowers.

白色的墙衬托出画的颜色。Báisè de qiáng chèntuō chū huà de yánsè.The white wall brings out the colours of the painting.

Questions about 衬托

What does 衬托 mean?

衬托 (chèntuō) means “to set off; to serve as a backdrop”.

How do you pronounce 衬托?

衬托 is pronounced chèntuō.

Which HSK level is 衬托?

衬托 is in Old HSK 6.

Related words

Learn 衬托 with its group

It is part of Old HSK 6 · Group 26: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.

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