\tThe appreciation of beauty is a universal trait, and provides an engaging topic of conversation. The Mandarin Chinese phrase for “beautiful” or “pretty” is \u25bapiàoliang, and can be used to describe people, places, or objects.<\/p>\n
\tPiàoliang consists of two characters: \u6f02\u4eae. The first character, \u6f02 (piào) means “elegant” or “polished.” The second character, \u4eae (liàng) means “light,” or “bright.” Note that the second character is often pronounced with a neutral tone.<\/p>\n
\tThe literal translation of piào liàng, then, is “elegant and bright.”<\/p>\n
\tEXAMPLES OF PIAO LIANG
\tClick on the links to hear the audio.<\/p>\n
\t\u25baN\u01d0 de y\u012b fu h\u011bn piào liàng.
\t\u4f60\u7684\u8863\u670d\u5f88\u6f02\u4eae\uff61
\t\u4f60\u7684\u8863\u670d\u5f88\u6f02\u4eae\uff61
\tYour clothes are very pretty.<\/p>\n
\t\u25baTáiw\u0101n de tài l\u01d4 gé f\u0113ng j\u01d0ng h\u011bn piào liàng.
\t\u53f0\u7063\u7684\u592a\u9b6f\u95a3\u98a8\u666f\u5f88\u6f02\u4eae\uff61
\t\u53f0\u6e7e\u7684\u592a\u9c81\u9601\u98ce\u666f\u5f88\u6f02\u4eae\uff61
\tTaiwan’s Taroko Gorge is a beautiful place.
\tThere are other ways of saying "beautiful" in Mandarin, and perhaps one of the most common ones that students encounter early on is \u7f8e (m\u011bi) which also means "beautiful" and can be used on its own or in the common word \u7f8e\u4e3d\/\u7f8e\u9e97. It's hard to find a single principle that keeps these two words apart, but \u7f8e usually refers to more permanent, lasting beauty, while \u6f02\u4eae is more transcendent. Exactly how to use the words comes from seeing them in context a lot!<\/p>\n