Comparing "meili" and "piaoliang"

美丽 (měilì) and 漂亮 (piàoliang) both are adjectives that mean "beautiful." 美丽 is used in more formal contexts, whereas 漂亮 is used in informal contexts. While both words can be used interchangeably to praise a woman or girl’s physical appearance, a key difference between these two is that 美丽 is more "classically beautiful," and is also often used to describe abstract thoughts or ideas, whereas 漂亮, more like "pretty," can also be used to describe concrete actions or movements (in sports, a performance, a speech, etc.).

B1HSK2ASV4567

	美丽 (měilì)	漂亮 (piàoliang)
Meaning	beautiful, elegant	pretty, good-looking
Part of Speech	adjective	adjective
Formality	formal	informal

:Yes

Use both 美丽 and 漂亮 to praise physical appearance

When used as such 美丽 and 漂亮 portray different meaning：美丽 meaning elegant and 漂亮 meaning pretty or good-looking.

Example Sentences

• 我 很 想 认识 那个 漂亮 的 女孩儿 。Wǒ hěn xiǎng rènshi nàge piàoliang de nǚháir.I would love to meet that pretty girl.
• 这部 电影 的 主角 是 一 个 美丽 的 姑娘 。Zhèbù diànyǐng de zhǔjué shì yī gè měilì de gūniang.The main character in this film is a beautiful girl.
• 他 最 小 的 女儿 长 得 最 漂亮。Tā zuì xiǎo de nǚ’ér cháng de zuì piàoliang.His youngest daughter is the prettiest.
• 我 妈妈 年轻 时 也 是 一 个 美丽 的 女人。Wǒ māma niánqīng shí yě shì yī gè měilì de nǚrén.My mother was also a beautiful woman when she was young.

Use 美丽 and 漂亮 to describe scenery

While both words can be used, 美丽 is used in formal settings, while 漂亮 is used in informal settings.

Example Sentences

• 这里 的 风景 特别 美丽。Zhèlǐ de fēngjǐng tèbié měilì.The scenery is particularly beautiful.
• 海南 夏天 的 风景 很 漂亮。Hǎinán xiàtiān de fēngjǐng hěn piàoliang.The summer scenery in Hainan is beautiful.
• 上海 的 夜景 比 北京 的 夜景 更 美丽。Shànghǎi de yèjǐng bǐ Běijīng de yèjǐng gèng měilì.The night skyline of Shanghai is even more beautiful than the night skyline of Beijing.
• 他 住 在 湖边，听说 那里 的 景色 很 漂亮。Tā zhù zài húbiān, tīngshuō nàli de jǐngsè hěn piàoliang.He lives by the lake and I hear it's beautiful.

Use 漂亮 To say “beautiful” in terms of concrete actions or movements

Common Phrases

Note that for these phrases, 漂亮 is not always modifying a noun. It can also modify a verb as a complement. This makes sense, since we're describing actions here.

• 漂亮 的 动作piàoliang de dòngzuògraceful movements
• 漂亮 的 话piàoliang de huàbeautiful words
• 说 得 很 漂亮shuō de hěn piàoliangbeautifully spoken
• 写 得 很 漂亮xiě de hěn piàoliangbeautifully written
• 办 得 很 漂亮bàn de hěn piàoliangnicely done
• 篮球 打 得 很 漂亮lánqiú dǎ de hěn piàoliangto play basketball skillfully

Example Sentences

• 这 真 是 一 个 漂亮 的 动作 ，你 可以 再 做 一 次 吗？Zhè zhēnshi yī gè piàoliang de dòngzuò, nǐ kěyǐ zài zuò yī cì ma?That was a beautiful move. Can you do it again?
• 漂亮 的 话 谁 都 可以 说，但是 真正 可以 把 工作 做 好 的 人 却 很 少。piàoliang de huà shéi dōu kěyǐ shuō, dànshì zhēnzhèng kěyǐ bǎ gōngzuò zuòhǎo de rén què hěn shǎo.Anyone can say some nice words, but very few people can actually get the job done.
• 他 每次 说话 都 说 得 很 漂亮，但是 他 的 工作 做 得 不 好。Tā měicì shuōhuà dōu shuō de hěn piàoliang, dànshì tā de gōngzuò zuò de bù hǎo.He talks a good game every time he speaks, but he doesn't do his job well.
• 你 写字 写 得 很 漂亮，可以 教 我 吗？Nǐ xiězì xiě de hěn piàoliang, kěyǐ jiāo wǒ ma?You write beautifully. Can you teach me?
• 这件 事情 你 办 得 很 漂亮，老板 一定 会 给 你 发 奖金 的。Zhèjiàn shìqing nǐ bàn de hěn piàoliang, lǎobǎn yīdìng huì gěi nǐ fā jiǎngjīn de.You've done a great job on this one, and the boss will definitely give you a bonus.
• 小王 打 篮球 打 得 很 漂亮，大家 都 喜欢 和 他 一起 玩。XiǎoWáng dǎ lánqiú dǎ de hěn piàoliang, dàjiā dōu xǐhuan hé tā yīqǐ wán.Xiao Wang plays basketball really well, and everyone likes to play with him.

Use 美丽 to say “beautiful” in terms of abstract thoughts or ideas

Common Phrases

• 美丽 的 家乡měilì de jiāxiāngbeautiful hometown
• 美丽 的 故事měilì de gùshibeautiful story
• 美丽 的 传说měilì de chuánshuōbeautiful legend

Example Sentences

• 在 我 美丽 的 家乡 有 很 多 苹果 树。Zài wǒ měilì de jiāxiāng yǒu hěn duō píngguǒ shù.There are many apple trees in my beautiful hometown.
• 这 是 我 听说 过 的 最 美丽 的 故事 。Zhè shì wǒ tīngshuō guo de zuì měilì de gùshi.It is the most beautiful story I have ever heard.
• 在 我 的 老家 有 一 个 美丽 的 传说 。Zài wǒ de lǎojiā yǒu yī gè měilì de chuánshuō.There is a beautiful legend in my old home town.

Sources and further reading

Websites

• 美丽与漂亮有何区别?