Meaning of 优美
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- graceful
- fine
- elegant
How to use 优美
优美 describes beauty with refinement, often for scenery, music, writing, movement, or a voice. It sounds a bit more literary than 美丽 (měilì). Example: 这里的风景很优美。(Zhèlǐ de fēngjǐng hěn yōuměi.) The scenery here is lovely.
优 (yōu) means excellent, as in 优势 (yōushì) superiority, and 美 (měi) means beautiful. Excellent plus beautiful gives you something graceful and elegant.
Common mistake: Learners often use 优美 for a person's looks, as in 她很优美. For an attractive face, 漂亮 (piàoliang) or 美丽 (měilì) is more natural, while 优美 fits her dancing, posture, or voice. Also keep 优 in the first tone, not the third.
优美 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
优 yōu · excellent · 6 strokes
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- 2
- 3
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- 5
- 6
美 měi · beautiful · 9 strokes
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- 2
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- 9
Related words
Words that share a character with 优美.
| 完美 | wánměi | perfect |
| 美丽 | měilì | beautiful |
| 美好 | měihǎo | beautiful; fine |
| 美元 | měiyuán | American dollar; US dollar |
| 优势 | yōushì | superiority; dominance |
| 美食 | měishí | culinary delicacy; fine food |
| 优点 | yōudiǎn | merit; benefit |
| 美术 | měishù | art; fine arts |
| 美女 | měinǚ | beautiful woman |
| 优秀 | yōuxiù | outstanding; excellent |
| 美金 | měijīn | American dollar; US dollar |
| 优良 | yōuliáng | fine; good |
Questions about 优美
What does 优美 mean?
优美 (yōuměi) means "graceful; fine" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 优美?
优美 is made of 2 characters: 优 (6 strokes), 美 (9 strokes). That is 15 strokes in total.
Is 优美 an HSK word?
Yes. 优美 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 优美 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 优美 is written 優美.
What is the difference between 优美 and 美好?
优美 is about graceful, pleasing form, like a melody or a landscape. 美好 (měihǎo) describes good and happy things, such as 美好的生活 (a good life) or 美好的未来 (a bright future).
Can 优美 be used before a noun?
Yes. It usually takes 的, as in 优美的音乐 (yōuměi de yīnyuè) beautiful music or 优美的环境 (yōuměi de huánjìng) a pleasant environment.