and 漂亮 both are adjectives that mean beautiful. 美丽 is used in formal settings, whereas 漂亮 is used in informal settings. While both words can be used interchangeably to praise a woman or girl’s physical appearance, when used as such they portray different meaning (美丽 meaning elegant vs. 漂亮 meaning pretty or good-looking). A key difference between these two is 美丽 is often used to describe abstract thoughts or ideas (a story, a legend, etc.), whereas 漂亮 is often used to describe concrete actions or movements (in sports, a performance, a speech, etc.).
| |
美丽 (měilì) |
漂亮 (piàoliang) |
| Meaning | beautiful, elegant | beautiful, pretty, good-looking |
| Part of Speech | adjective | adjective |
| Formality | formal | informal |
