美
měi
Character beautiful
美 (měi) is a fundamental Chinese character meaning "beautiful" or "pretty." It's a versatile adjective that can describe people, objects, scenery, and abstract concepts. It also carries connotations of "good" or "fine."
When to use it
Neutral. It can be used alone or as part of compound words to express various shades of beauty. For a more descriptive "beautiful," you often hear 美丽 (měilì). For "wonderful" or "fine," you might use 美好 (měihǎo).
How to pronounce it
Sounds like "MAY" with a dipping, then rising tone (third tone). Imagine saying "may?" as if asking a question, but with a slight dip in the middle.
Other ways to say it
- 美丽měi lìbeautiful (often for people, scenery, concrete things)
- 美好měi hǎobeautiful / wonderful (often for abstract things like life, future, memories)
- 美观měi guānaesthetically pleasing / good-looking (often for design, appearance of objects)
Examples
这个汉字很美。
zhè ge hàn zì hěn měi 。
This Chinese character is very beautiful.
她长得很美。
tā cháng dé hěn měi 。
She grew up to be very beautiful.
祝你有个美好的未来。
zhù nǐ yǒu gè měi hǎo de wèi lái 。
Wish you a beautiful/wonderful future.
Pro tip: While 美 itself means "beautiful," it often combines with other characters to form more specific or nuanced expressions of beauty, such as 美丽 (měilì) for visual beauty or 美好 (měihǎo) for a beautiful experience or future.
Related phrases
我爱你 · I love you爱 · Love我想你 · I miss you
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