"Her pretty long hair flying in the breeze"

[GoodTaste]

I'm seeking an idiom in English that describes a demoiselle's beautiful long hair flying in the breeze/wind. In Chinese language, there is an idiom depicting this vividly and positively. But in English, does "Her pretty long hair flying in the breeze" sound natural to you?

 

[tzfujimino]

I think it's "waving", not "flying".

 

[GoodTaste]

waving in breeze, flying in wind.

 

[tzfujimino]

It might be a good idea for you to give us a picture of the girl/woman you're trying to describe, if possible.

 

[Rover_KE]

The word 'demoiselle' fell out of use 100 years ago. Call her a young woman.

 

[probus]

To me, flying or waving in the breeze both work for long hair moving about.

 

[tedmc]

How about rippling and undulating?

 

[GoodTaste]

The word 'demoiselle' fell out of use 100 years ago. Call her a young woman.

"Young woman" gives me the impression that it is more about a married young woman than an unmarried one. The context of the OP tends to describe the beautiful long hair of an unmarried young woman. I am not sure whether this impression is correct in English.

 

[tedmc]

What has that (talking about hair) to do with the woman's marital status?

 

[emsr2d2]

Why not just use "young person" or "youth"? Both men and women can have long hair. All that hair will wave in the wind the same way.

 

[GoodTaste]

Why not just use "young person" or "youth"? Both men and women can have long hair. All that hair will wave in the wind the same way.

In the context of Chinese culture, only ancient men had long hair. Today's men with long hair either look odd or insane in China.

What has that (talking about hair) to do with the woman's marital status?

Being married is with the love knot tied. Being single is free like a breeze, which adds lustre to the image in depiction.

 

[emsr2d2]

I'm curious to know in what situation or context you are likely to need to use this. You've told us that men in China don't have long hair - OK, that's fine, we'll stick with women for now. We've told you that in English-speaking countries, having long hair has absolutely no connection to one's marital status.

To whom, and in what country, are you going to be using this expression in English?

If you're in China and talking to another Chinese person, you'd just say it in Chinese, and they would understand anyway.
If you're in China and talking to an English-speaking person, you might well have to explain the meaning to them if they're not familiar with Chinese culture.
If you're in the UK and talking to an English-speaking person, you will almost certainly have to explain the whole thing because the listener would have assume that you were simply commenting on someone's hair and how it moves in the wind. (I would be distinctly baffled if someone randomly said that to me.)

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I've never seen or heard demoiselle, so I Googled it and found:

​

1. a small, graceful Old World crane with a black head and breast and white ear tufts, breeding in southeastern Europe and central Asia.

​

2. a damselfly, especially of the genus Agrion.
​

So unless you're talking about a hairy crane, you need a different word.

Also, "pretty long hair" means somewhat long hair.

So I think you mean long, pretty hair.

 

[Rover_KE]

This is what we're talking about:

(obs) an unmarried girl or young woman; a damsel.

(Random House)

 

[GoesStation]

It's borrowed from French. The French word mademoiselle is composed of ma ("my") + demoiselle ("young woman").

 

[GoodTaste]

I've never seen or heard demoiselle, so I Googled it and found:

​

1. a small, graceful Old World crane with a black head and breast and white ear tufts, breeding in southeastern Europe and central Asia.

​

2. a damselfly, especially of the genus Agrion.
​

So unless you're talking about a hairy crane, you need a different word.

Also, "pretty long hair" means somewhat long hair.

So I think you mean long, pretty hair.

That is highly misleading that you've encountered such a dictionary.
See Merriam Webster Dictionary:

Definition of demoiselle
1: a young lady
2: DAMSELFISH
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demoiselle

 

[GoodTaste]

The reason that I chose demoiselle rather than young woman:

Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English
dem•oi•selle
an unmarried girl or young woman.

This dictionary defines it as "an unmarried girl", which was exactly the word I wanted, especially when it doesn't indicate "it's archaic".

Now I've learned from you guys that the practical use of this word is complicated. Dictionaries don't always help, they can mislead you to nowhere.

 

[Tarheel]

Try:

Her long, pretty red hair was flying in the breeze.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

This is what we're talking about:

(Random House)

Clearly. I doubt anyone thought we were talking about cranes.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

The reason that I chose demoiselle rather than young woman:

Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English
dem•oi•selle
an unmarried girl or young woman.

This dictionary defines it as "an unmarried girl", which was exactly the word I wanted, especially when it doesn't indicate "it's archaic".

Now I've learned from you guys that the practical use of this word is complicated. Dictionaries don't always help, they can mislead you to nowhere.

We understand. It was a reasonable mistake.

The practical use of the the word isn't complicated. It's simply not done. No one ever calls a single woman a demoiselle.

Best: a young single woman.

1. Single is more common than unmarried.

2. When you're not talking just with your friends, it's a good idea not to call young women girls. Some people think it's insulting, some think it's innacturate, some think it's sexist. (For somewhat different reasons, it's good to avoid calling young men boys, too.)

3. If you said a single young woman, it would mean just one young woman.