Definition
美 (měi) is a versatile adjective meaning 'beautiful' or 'good/excellent'. Compared to the everyday 漂亮 (piàoliang), 美 is more formal and often used for scenery, art, or abstract beauty, and it also carries the sense of 'satisfying' (e.g., 味道很美). For describing a person's looks, 漂亮 is more common in speech; 标致 (biāozhì) is a more refined term for a woman's beauty.
adjective
beautifulprettygoodexcellentsatisfying
Easily confused
- 天tiānlook-alike(noun) sky
- 每měisound-alikeeach; every
- 太tàilook-aliketoo, excessively (often with 了)
- 枚méisound-alike(classifier) for small, flat, or round objects (coins, rings, badges, medals, pearls, etc.)
- 类lèilook-alike(noun) category, kind, type
- 煤méisound-alikecoal
- 尖jiānlook-alike(adjective) sharp, pointed; shrill, tapering; shrill, piercing; acute, keen
Examples
- 美。Zhèlǐ de fēngjǐng zhēn měi.The scenery here is really beautiful.
- 美。Tā zhǎng de zhēn měi.She is really beautiful.
- 美，。Zhè jiǔ wèidào hěn měi, fēicháng hǎohē.This wine tastes great, very delicious.
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