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美 (měi) — beautiful; pretty; good; excellent; satisfying

Definition

美 (měi) is a more formal, written word for 'beautiful' or 'good/excellent,' often used in set phrases or about experiences (e.g. 味道美, 日子美). For everyday 'pretty' (people, things) prefer 漂亮.

adjective
beautifulprettygoodexcellentsatisfying
Easily confused

Examples

  • 美。
    Zhè lǐ de fēng jǐng zhēn měi.
    The scenery here is really beautiful.
  • 美。
    Tā cháng dé zhēn měi.
    She is really beautiful.
  • 美，。
    Zhè jiǔ wèi dào hěn měi, fēi cháng hǎo hē.
    This wine tastes great, very delicious.

Origin

Compound ideograph
六书liùshū
会意huìyì

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

美 shows 大, a person, wearing 羊, a headdress of feathers or ram's horn.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4500 Most Frequent Chinese Words1000 Most Frequent Chinese WordsAppearance2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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