In Mandarin Chinese, both 漂亮 (piàoliang) and 美丽 (měilì) can be translated as “beautiful” in English, but they are used in slightly different contexts.
漂亮
漂亮 (piàoliang) is more commonly used to describe physical attractiveness or appearance. It can refer to someone’s facial features, clothing, or overall appearance. It’s often used in casual conversations.
美丽
美丽 (měilì), on the other hand, tends to convey a deeper sense of beauty and can refer to both physical beauty and the beauty of things like landscapes, artwork, or ideas. It carries a more profound and poetic connotation compared to 漂亮.
So, while both words can be translated as “beautiful,” 漂亮 is more straightforward and commonly used for describing physical beauty, whereas 美丽 has a broader and deeper scope, encompassing both physical and abstract forms of beauty.