美女
měinǚ
The English phrase 'beautiful woman' is translated into Chinese as 美女 (měinǚ).
美女 is a term used to describe a woman who is physically attractive. In modern mainland China, it is also frequently used as a generic, polite way to address a young woman in service industries, similar to saying 'miss' or 'hey lady', regardless of whether she is exceptionally beautiful.
What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of 美 (měi), meaning 'beautiful' and 女 (nǚ), meaning 'woman'.
Which one should you use?
While 美女 is a noun, if you want to use 'beautiful' as an adjective to describe a specific woman in a sentence, you would typically use the structure 很美 (hěn měi) or 很漂亮 (hěn piàoliang). You can also use 大美女 to emphasize that a woman is exceptionally beautiful by adding the prefix 大 (dà), which means 'big'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The term 花容月貌 is a poetic and elegant way to express admiration for a woman's beauty derived from Classical Chinese.
How do you pronounce it?
měinǚ
Did you know?
- The character 美 (měi) originally depicted a 'big sheep' in ancient scripts, as livestock were once a primary symbol of wealth and beauty.
- There is a counterpart term 帅哥 (shuàigē), meaning 'handsome guy', which is used as a generic, polite address for men in the same way 美女 is used for women.
- Calling a woman 美女 in a formal business setting or to a superior might be seen as too casual or even slightly disrespectful compared to using her job title.
Examples in context
- 我是个化妆师，每当我把一个姑娘变成大美女。I'm a make-up artist. I can turn any girl into a beautiful woman.This example shows how a make-up artist might use 美女 to describe a transformed girl.Tatoeba #1298060 by sysko, translation #1299105 by rahim
- 「克里奧帕特拉」這個名字已經成為了美女的代名詞。The name Cleopatra has become a byword for a beautiful woman.This example illustrates using 美女 as a byword for a famous person.Tatoeba #508966 by nickyeow, translation #329614 by fcbond
- 那位美女在跳舞。Nà wèi měinǚ zài tiàowǔ.That beautiful woman is dancing.
Example conversation
Wei greets Zihan at a party.
- 伟 Wei美女，好久不见！Měinǚ, hǎojiǔ bùjiàn!Hey beautiful, long time no see!
- 梓涵 Zihan你好，伟！Nǐ hǎo, Wěi!Hello, Wei!
- 伟 Wei你今天看起来很漂亮。Nǐ jīntiān kàn qǐlái hěn piàoliang.You look very pretty today.
- 梓涵 Zihan谢谢你的夸奖。Xièxiè nǐ de kuājuǎng.Thank you for the compliment.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
