Chinese symbol for “formality”
形式
xíng shì
outer appearance; form; shape; formality
The closest CC-CEDICT match for formality is 形式 (xíng shì), defined as: outer appearance; form; shape; formality; 个 (gè).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Characters and stroke order
Related words
Other words that share a character with 形式.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 形成 | xíng chéng | to form; to take shape |
| 形象 | xíng xiàng | image; form |
| 形势 (形勢) | xíng shì | circumstances; situation |
| 情形 | qíng xing | circumstances; situation; state of affairs |
| 形态 (形態) | xíng tài | shape; form |
| 方式 | fāng shì | way; method; manner; mode; pattern (of behavior etc); 种 (zhǒng) |
| 正式 | zhèng shì | formal; official |
| 模式 | mó shì | mode; pattern; model |
See also: Japanese symbol for “formality”.
Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.