china doll
Fragile porcelain plaything
A china doll is a doll with a head made of glazed porcelain, popular in the 19th century.
The term extends to describe a person, usually a woman, who appears delicate, fragile, or exquisitely pretty: She's not some china doll—she can handle herself.
The phrase often carries connotations of being decorative but breakable, or beautiful but passive.
Translucent fired clay
- bisqueCreamy seafood soup
- collectibleObject worth amassing
- antiqueOld valued collectible
- vintageQuality from past eras
heirloom · keepsake · miniature · ornament · statuette · curio · trinket · knick-knack
Thin lustrous coating
- kilnOven for hardening clay
- ceramicsHardened clay objects
- firingTerminating employment
- clayMoldable earth for ceramics
pottery · bisque · enamel · kaolin · hard-paste · soft-paste · translucent · mold
Easily broken or harmed
- brittleLiable to shatter
- breakableCapable of shattering
- fragileEasily broken or damaged
- crackNarrow break or attempt
shatter · chip · handle with care · vulnerable · tender · gentle · precious · careful
- glossySmooth and shiny
- paleLacking color intensity
- smoothWithout roughness or difficulty
- complexionSkin tone, appearance
flawless · perfect · idealized · pretty · dainty · petite · feminine · ringlets
Readily yielding to control
- passiveNot actively participating
- exoticStrikingly unusual, foreign-seeming
- fetishizedMade object of fixation
- objectificationReducing humans to things
Asian · stereotype · trope · derogatory · dehumanizing · problematic · racial · orientalism
porcelain
Translucent fired clay
- bisqueCreamy seafood soup
- collectibleObject worth amassing
- antiqueOld valued collectible
vintage · heirloom · keepsake · miniature · ornament · statuette · curio · trinket · knick-knack · decoration
glaze
Thin lustrous coating
clay · pottery · bisque · enamel · kaolin · hard-paste · soft-paste · translucent · mold · cast
delicate
Easily broken or harmed
crack · shatter · chip · handle with care · vulnerable · tender · gentle · precious · careful · damage
rosy cheeks
complexion · flawless · perfect · idealized · pretty · dainty · petite · feminine · ringlets · bonnet
submissive
Readily yielding to control
- passiveNot actively participating
- exoticStrikingly unusual, foreign-seeming
- fetishizedMade object of fixation
objectification · Asian · stereotype · trope · derogatory · dehumanizing · problematic · racial · orientalism · harmful
- toysteddy bear, stuffed animal, puzzles, blocks, balls
- DollsCabbage Patch Kids, Raggedy Andy, Monster High, Dawn, Sasha
- Victorian antiquesbustle, corset, bonnet, cravat, waistcoat
- antique dolls
china dollrag doll
Soft stuffed fabric toy
cloth doll · wooden doll · Barbie · Raggedy Ann · paper doll
china dollrag doll
Soft stuffed fabric toy
Raggedy Ann · plush toy · stuffed animal · soft toy · Cabbage Patch Kid
china dolltomboy
Girl favoring rough play
tough cookie · Amazon · rugged individualist · bruiser · scrapper