hú zi
mustache; beard
他留着长长的胡子。
Tā liúzhe chángcháng de húzi.
He has a long beard.
我爸爸的胡子很白。
Wǒ bàba de húzi hěn bái.
My father's beard is very white.
他刮了胡子。
Tā guāle húzi.
He shaved his beard.
光滑 (guānghuá)
smooth
剃须 (tìxū)
shave
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The Chinese word 胡子 (húzi) for "beard" has an interesting etymology. The character 胡 (hú) originally meant "barbarian" or "foreigner" and was used to refer to people from Central Asia and the Middle East. The character 子 (zi) means "son" or "child". So, 胡子 literally means "son of a barbarian" or "child of a foreigner". This is because, in ancient China, beards were often associated with foreigners and were seen as a sign of virility and strength. Over time, the term 胡子 came to be used more generally to refer to any beard, regardless of the person's ethnicity.
