piàoliang
everyday
In pinyin "beautiful" is most often piàoliang (漂亮) in daily speech. měilì (美丽) is more formal and fits scenery or writing, and hǎokàn (好看) means "nice to look at".
Meaning: beautiful (adjective)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Note |
|---|---|
| piàoliang | everyday |
| hǎokàn | casual |
| měilì | formal, written |
Piàoliang works for people, clothes and places. Add hěn before it, as in hěn piàoliang, for "very beautiful".
Which one should you use?
Měilì (美丽) appears in speeches, songs and descriptions of nature. Hǎokàn (好看) is relaxed and also describes films and books.
Did you know?
- Adjectives like piàoliang usually take hěn in front, even when the meaning is just "beautiful" with no extra emphasis.
Examples in context
- Zhè duǒ huā hěn piàoliang.This flower is very beautiful.
- Zhèlǐ de fēngjǐng hěn měilì.The scenery here is beautiful.
- Nǐ de qúnzi zhēn hǎokàn.Your skirt looks really nice.
Example conversation
Yan shows her sister Hui a photo from a trip to Hangzhou.
- YanNǐ kàn, zhè shì Xīhú.Look, this is West Lake.
- HuiZhēn piàoliang!So beautiful!
- YanDuì, nàlǐ de fēngjǐng hěn měilì.Yes, the scenery there is lovely.
