Comparing "meili" and "piaoliang"

美丽 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.).

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

:Yes

To describe natural scenery that is beautiful both 美丽 and 漂亮 can be used.

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

Common Phrases

• ～的风景
• 风景很～
• 景色很～

To praise a woman or girl’s physical appearance both 美丽 and 漂亮 can be used

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

Common Phrases

• ～的女孩儿
• ～姑娘
• 长得～

To say “beautiful” in terms of concrete actions or movements in sports, a performance, a speech, etc. use 漂亮

Common Phrases

• 漂亮的动作
• 漂亮的话
• 说得很漂亮
• 写得很漂亮
• 办得很漂亮
• 篮球打得很漂亮

To say “beautiful” in terms of abstract thoughts or ideas, i.e., a story, a legend, a homeland etc. use 美丽

Common Phrases

• 的传说
• 的故事
• 的家乡

Sources and further reading

Websites

美丽与漂亮有何区别? https://m.iask.sina.com.cn/mib/734745.html