美 (měi) - Beautiful, pretty & good, excellent

美Tone 3

měi ｜ 9 strokes ｜ radical: 羊

伦妙

美 · měi

Beautiful, pretty;

good, excellent;

to beautify;

America (abbreviation).

Beautiful, prettygood, excellentto beautify

Usage highlights

BeautifulAmericaAestheticsBeautifyDeliciousPerfect

Synonyms

  • 丽— Beautiful, pretty
  • 漂亮— Pretty, good-looking
  • 佳— Good, excellent

Antonyms

  • 丑— Ugly
  • 恶— Evil, bad
  • 劣— Inferior, poor quality

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • She is very beautiful (她很美).
  • This is a beautiful landscape (美景).
  • American English (美式英语).
  • We had a delicious meal (美餐).

Collocations

  • Beautiful(美丽)
  • America(美国)
  • Aesthetics(美学)
  • Beautify(美化)
  • Delicious(美味)
  • Perfect(完美)

Idioms

  • Perfect, flawless(十全十美)
  • Beautiful scenery(良辰美景)
  • To add finishing touch(美其名曰)
  • Virtue is better than beauty(美德胜于美貌)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In traditional Chinese aesthetics, 美 represents harmony and balance in form and spirit.
  • The character combines 羊 (sheep) and 大 (big), originally meaning 'plump sheep' as a symbol of prosperity and goodness.
  • Used as an abbreviation for America (美国) in modern Chinese.
  • Considered one of the most positive characters in Chinese, associated with virtue and excellence.

FAQ