美女
měinǚ
The English phrase beautiful girl is translated into Chinese as 美女 (měinǚ).
美女 is a term used to describe a young woman who is physically attractive. Unlike the English 'beautiful girl' which focuses on physical appearance, the Chinese term 美女 is often used as a social filler or a polite vocative to get someone's attention.
What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of 美 (beautiful) and 女 (woman/female).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
美女 is a casual way to say beautiful girl. While it literally means 'beautiful woman', using it to address a stranger in a formal setting might be seen as overly casual or slightly flirtatious depending on the context. For a formal way to say beautiful girl, use 美丽的女孩 (měi lì de nǚ hái). For an informal and friendly way to say beautiful girl, use 漂亮姑娘 (piào liàng gū niang).
Is it said differently in some regions?
Cantonese speakers in Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong use the informal term 靓女 (leng nui) to describe a beautiful girl.
How do you pronounce it?
měinǚ
Did you know?
- The character 美 (měi) originally depicted a large sheep, as ancient Chinese culture associated livestock and abundance with beauty.
- While 美女 is common for women, men are often addressed as 帅哥 (shuài gē), which literally means 'handsome older brother'.
- The character 女 (nǚ) is a pictograph that originally represented a person kneeling or a woman with crossed legs, illustrating the ancient way of writing the word for 'female'.
Examples in context
- 純子是一个美女。Junko is a beautiful girl.This sentence is useful for showing how to use 美女 to identify someone.Tatoeba #2158917 by faraway9911, translation #1134088 by CN
- 你是一位美丽的女孩。You are a beautiful girl.
- 她是个靓女。She is a beautiful girl.
- 她是一个很有气质的美女。Tā shì yí ge hěn yǒu qìzhì de měinǚ.She is a beautiful girl with great temperament.
- 那个美女在跳舞。Nà ge měinǚ zài tiàowǔ.That beautiful girl is dancing.
Example conversation
Two friends are walking in a park and seeing people passing by.
- 俊杰 Junjie看，那边有个美女。Kàn, nà biān yǒu ge měinǚ.Look, there is a beautiful girl over there.
- 梓涵 Zihan她是你的女朋友吗？Tā shì nǐ de nǚ péngyǒu ma?Is she your girlfriend?
- 俊杰 Junjie不是，我只是觉得她很漂亮。Bú shì, wǒ zhǐ shì jué de tā hěn piàoliang.No, I just think she is very pretty.
- 梓涵 Zihan俊杰，你真会看人。Jùnjié, nǐ zhēn huì kàn rén.Junjie, you really have a good eye.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
