好漂亮
hǎo piàoliang
The English phrase "so pretty" is expressed in Chinese as 好漂亮 (hǎo piàoliang).
This phrase is used to describe someone or something that is very attractive or beautiful. It is versatile and can be used to describe people, scenery, clothes or objects.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 好 (hǎo) literally means "good", but in this construction, it functions as an adverb meaning "so" or "very". It is used to intensify the adjective 漂亮 (piàoliang).
Which one should you use?
While 很漂亮 (hěn piàoliang) is a neutral way to say "very pretty", 好漂亮 (hǎo piàoliang) carries a stronger sense of exclamation or emotional emphasis, much like "so pretty!" in English.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, one might say 靚到爆 to mean "so pretty".
How does it change in a sentence?
In this construction, the adverb 好 (hǎo) is used to intensify the adjective 漂亮 (piàoliang).
How do you pronounce it?
hǎo piàoliang
Did you know?
- The Cantonese equivalent 靚到爆 (leng dou bou) literally translates to 'beautiful to the point of exploding', reflecting a common Cantonese trend of using 'explosion' to mean 'extremely'.
- The word 漂亮 (piàoliang) can also be used to describe a person's actions or a performance, meaning they did something 'splendidly' or 'brilliantly'.
- The character 好 (hǎo) in 好漂亮 is a compound of the characters for 'woman' and 'child', which originally represented the ideal of a 'good' or 'harmonious' family.
Examples in context
- 你的眼睛很漂亮Your eyes are very pretty.
- 这朵花好漂亮。Zhè duǒ huā hǎo piàoliang.This flower is so pretty.
- 你的新裙子好漂亮。Nǐ de xīn qúnzi hǎo piàoliang.Your new skirt is so pretty.
- 今天的晚霞好漂亮。Jīntiān de wǎnxiá hǎo piàoliang.The sunset clouds are so pretty today.
Example conversation
Haoran and Zihan are looking at a flower garden.
- 梓涵 Zihan这些花好漂亮！Zhèxiē huā hǎo piàoliang!These flowers are so pretty!
- 浩然 Haoran是的，颜色也很鲜艳。Shì de, yánsè yě hěn xiānyàn.Yes, the colors are very bright too.
- 梓涵 Zihan我想给它们拍张照。Wǒ xiǎng gěi tāmen pāi zhāng zhào.I want to take a photo of them.
- 浩然 Haoran好主意，梓涵。Hǎo zhǔyì, Zǐhán.Good idea, Zihan.
