How to say “beautiful” in Chinese
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Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Word by word
Tone tip
The weight is on the falling 漂; 亮 is neutral and quick, so don't give it a full fourth tone. 漂亮 is the everyday word for people, clothes and places; 美丽 (měilì) is the more written, poetic 'beautiful'.
In a sentence
Zhèlǐ de fēngjǐng zhēn piàoliang.
The scenery here is really beautiful.
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
How do you say "beautiful" in Chinese?+
"beautiful" in Mandarin Chinese is 漂亮, pronounced piàoliang. The weight is on the falling 漂; 亮 is neutral and quick, so don't give it a full fourth tone. 漂亮 is the everyday word for people, clothes and places; 美丽 (měilì) is the more written, poetic 'beautiful'.
What does 漂亮 mean literally?+
漂亮 breaks down as 漂 (piào) = pretty, 亮 (liang) = bright (neutral here). Together it means "beautiful".
How do I get the tones right in piàoliang?+
The weight is on the falling 漂; 亮 is neutral and quick, so don't give it a full fourth tone. 漂亮 is the everyday word for people, clothes and places; 美丽 (měilì) is the more written, poetic 'beautiful'.
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