# 美麗
## Chinese
### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): měilì
    (Zhuyin): ㄇㄟˇ ㄌㄧˋ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): mei$^5$ lai$^6$
* Hakka (Sixian, PFS): mî-li
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): bí-lē
    (Teochew, Peng'im): mui$^2$ li$^6$
* Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): $^5$me-li
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: měilì
*** Zhuyin: ㄇㄟˇ ㄌㄧˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: měilì
*** Wade–Giles: mei$^3$-li$^4$
*** Yale: měi-lì
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: meeilih
*** Palladius: мэйли (mɛjli)
*** Sinological IPA : /meɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ li⁵¹/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: mei$^5$ lai$^6$
*** Yale: méih laih
*** Cantonese Pinyin: mei$^5$ lai$^6$
*** Guangdong Romanization: méi$^5$ lei$^6$
*** Sinological IPA : /mei̯¹³ lɐi̯²²/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: mî-li
*** Hakka Romanization System: mi$^ˊ$ li
*** Hagfa Pinyim: mi$^1$ li$^4$
*** Sinological IPA: /mi²⁴⁻¹¹ li⁵⁵/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bí-lē
*** Tâi-lô: bí-lē
*** Phofsit Daibuun: byle
*** IPA (Xiamen): /bi⁵³⁻⁴⁴ le²²/
*** IPA (Quanzhou): /bi⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ le⁴¹/
*** IPA (Zhangzhou): /bi⁵³⁻⁴⁴ le²²/
*** IPA (Taipei): /bi⁵³⁻⁴⁴ le³³/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /bi⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ le³³/
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: mui$^2$ li$^6$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: múi lĭ
*** Sinological IPA : /mui⁵²⁻³⁵ li³⁵/
* Wu
** (Northern: Shanghai)
*** Wugniu: $^5$me-li
*** MiniDict: 'me$^去$ li
*** Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): $^2$'me-li
*** Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /me³³ li⁴⁴/
* Middle Chinese: mijX lje
Rime :
| Character | 美 | 麗 |
| Reading # | 1/1 | 1/2 |
| Initial (聲) | 明 (4) | 來 (37) |
| Final (韻) | 脂 (17) | 支 (11) |
| Tone (調) | Rising (X) | Level (Ø) |
| Openness (開合) | Open | Open |
| Division (等) | III | III |
| Fanqie | 無鄙切 | 呂支切 |
| Baxter | mijX | lje |
| Reconstructions |||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /mˠiɪ$^X$/ | /liᴇ/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /mᵚi$^X$/ | /liɛ/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /miɪ$^X$/ | /ljɛ/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /mji$^X$/ | /liə̆/ |
| Li Rong | /mji$^X$/ | /lie/ |
| Wang Li | /mi$^X$/ | /lǐe/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /mi$^X$/ | /lie̯/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | mǐ | lí |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | mei$^5$ | lei$^4$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Baxter–Sagart): /*[m]rəjʔ [r]ˤe-s/
    (Zhengzhang): /*mriʔ reːls/
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) :
| Character | 美 | 麗 |
| Reading # | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | měi | lì |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ mij$^X$ › | ‹ lej$^H$ › |
| Old Chinese | /*[m]rəjʔ/ | /*[r]ˁe-s/ |
| English | beautiful | symmetrical |
| Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary. |||
Zhengzhang system (2003) :
| Character | 美 | 麗 |
| Reading # | 1/1 | 1/2 |
| No. | 8951 | 7914 |
| Phonetic component | 美 | 丽 |
| Rime group | 脂 | 歌 |
| Rime subdivision | 2 | 2 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 美 | 麗 |
| Old Chinese | /*mriʔ/ | /*reːls/ |
| Notes | 甲文象大人首插翎羽表美觀， 取陳獨秀說 | |

### Adjective

美麗
* beautiful
    美麗景色／美丽景色 ― měilì jǐngsè ― beautiful views
       Tā zhǎng de hěn měilì. [Pinyin]
       She is very beautiful.
       Fǎyǔ shì yīmén měilì de yǔyán. [Pinyin]
       French is a beautiful language.
       Yào wǒ shuō a, xiāngxià měilì de tiányuán fēngguāng jiù bǐ fēngjǐngqū de hǎo. [Pinyin]
       If you ask me, the scenery in the countryside is more beautiful than that in the scenic spots.

#### Synonyms

* 俊 (jùn)
* 俊俏 (jùnqiào) (attractive and smart)
* 俊秀 (jùnxiù)
* 俊美 (jùnměi) (of a young male)
* 俏麗 / 俏丽 (qiàolì) (usually of a female)
* 奇麗 / 奇丽 (qílì) (singularly beautiful)
* 好看 (hǎokàn)
* 妖嬌 / 妖娇 (“iau-kiau”) (Hokkien)
* 姣美 (jiāoměi) (formal, of a face or posture)
* 妍美 (yánměi) (literary)
* 嬌豔 / 娇艳 (jiāoyàn) (delicate and charming)
* 嬌逸 / 娇逸 (jiāoyì) (literary, of a young male)
* 悅目 / 悦目 (yuèmù)
* 是樣 / 是样 (shìyàng) (colloquial)
* 標緻 / 标致 (biāozhì) (usually of a woman)
* 清秀 (qīngxiù)
* 漂亮
* 秀媚 (xiùmèi)
* 秀美 (xiùměi)
* 秀麗 / 秀丽 (xiùlì)
* 綺麗 / 绮丽 (qǐlì)
* 繁華 / 繁华 (fánhuá) (literary)
* 美觀 / 美观 (měiguān)
* 耐看 (nàikàn)
* 花花 (huāhuā) (literary)
* 豔麗 / 艳丽 (yànlì)
* 邊式 / 边式 (biānshi) (regional, of dress, physique, etc.)
* 體面 / 体面 (tǐmiàn)
* 鮮亮 / 鲜亮 (xiānliàng) (dialectal)
* 鮮麗 / 鲜丽 (xiānlì)
| Variety | Location | Words |
| Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | 漂亮, 好看, 美, 美麗, 美觀, 佳 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Beijing | 好看, 漂亮, 俊 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Taiwan | 好看, 漂亮 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Chifeng | 好看, 漂亮, 標緻 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Hulunbuir (Hailar) | 好看, 漂亮 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Harbin | 好看, 漂亮, 俊, 美 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Shenyang | 美, 好看, 漂亮, 標緻 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Singapore | 美, 好看, 漂亮, 美麗 |
| Jilu Mandarin | Tianjin | 好看, 漂亮 |
| Jilu Mandarin | Tangshan | 好看 |
| Jilu Mandarin | Cangzhou | 好看, 漂亮, 俊 |
| Jilu Mandarin | Baoding | 好看, 漂亮 |
| Jilu Mandarin | Shijiazhuang | 好看 |
| Jilu Mandarin | Jinan | 好看, 漂亮, 俊, 俊巴, 美 |
| Jiaoliao Mandarin | Yantai (Muping) | 俊 |
| Jiaoliao Mandarin | Qingdao | 漂亮, 俊 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Luoyang | 好看, 漂亮, 美, 標緻 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Wanrong | 好看 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Zhengzhou | 漂亮, 標緻, 好看, 齊整 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Xi'an | 美, 好看, 漂亮, 標緻, 嫽, 排場, 心疼 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Xining | 好看, 標緻, 俊, 秀溜 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Xuzhou | 好看, 漂亮, 標緻, 俊, 冠冕, 辦事 |
| Lanyin Mandarin | Yinchuan | 美, 好看, 漂亮, 標緻, 俊 |
| Lanyin Mandarin | Lanzhou | 好看, 漂亮, 美, 俊 |
| Lanyin Mandarin | Ürümqi | 美, 好看, 漂亮, 標緻, 翠活 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Chengdu | 好看, 漂亮, 乖, 抻抖, 抻展 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Chongqing | 美, 好看, 漂亮, 乖, 抻抖 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Wuhan | 好看, 漂亮, 標緻, 體面, 寧馨, 標, 媌, 刮氣, 美 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Guiyang | 抻透, 抻展, 好看, 漂亮, 秀氣 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Kunming | 好看, 漂亮, 標緻 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Guilin | 漂亮 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Liuzhou | 美, 好看, 漂亮, 靚$_2$, 㜺 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Nanjing | 好看, 漂亮, 標緻, 不醜 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Yangzhou | 美, 好看, 漂亮, 標緻, 不醜 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Nantong | 好看, 漂亮 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Hefei | 美, 漂亮, 好看, 格式, 排場 |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou | 靚$_2$, 好睇, 好樣 |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong | 靚$_2$, 好睇 |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong (Kam Tin; Weitou) | 靚$_2$ |
| Cantonese | Macau | 靚$_2$ |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou (Panyu) | 靚$_2$ |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu) | 靚$_2$ |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou (Conghua) | 靚$_2$ |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou (Zengcheng) | 靚$_2$ |
| Cantonese | Foshan | 靚$_2$ |
| Cantonese | Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai) | 靚$_2$ |
| Cantonese | Foshan (Shunde) | 靚$_2$ |
| Cantonese | Foshan (Sanshui) | 靚$_2$ |
| Cantonese | Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming) | 靚$_2$ |
| Cantonese | Zhongshan (Shiqi) | 靚$_2$ |
| Cantonese | Zhuhai (Qianshan, Xiangzhou) | 靚$_2$ |
| Cantonese | Zhuhai (Shangheng, Doumen; Tanka) | 靚$_2$ |
| Cantonese | Zhuhai (Doumen) | 靚$_2$ |
| Cantonese | Jiangmen (Baisha) | 靚$_2$ |
| Cantonese | Jiangmen (Xinhui) | 靚$_2$ |
| Cantonese | Taishan | 靚$_2$ |
| Cantonese | Kaiping (Chikan) | 靚$_2$ |
| Cantonese | Enping (Niujiang) | 靚$_2$ |
| Cantonese | Heshan (Yayao) | 靚$_2$ |
| Cantonese | Dongguan | 靚$_2$, 好樣 |
| Cantonese | Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an) | 靚$_2$ |
| Cantonese | Yangjiang | 好看, 好樣, 靚$_2$, 整齊 |
| Cantonese | Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu) | 靚$_2$ |
| Cantonese | Penang (Guangfu) | 靚$_2$ |
| Cantonese | Singapore (Guangfu) | 靚$_2$ |
| Gan | Nanchang | 客氣, 好看, 漂亮, 齊整 |
| Gan | Lichuan | 好看 |
| Gan | Pingxiang | 好看, 客氣, 漂亮, 標緻, 標 |
| Hakka | Meixian | 好看, 靚$_2$, 靚$_3$, 僐, 勁, 趣, 端, 標緻, 儒雅 |
| Hakka | Xingning | 靚$_2$ |
| Hakka | Huizhou (Huicheng; Bendihua) | 靚$_2$ |
| Hakka | Huiyang | 靚$_2$ |
| Hakka | Huidong (Daling) | 靚$_2$ |
| Hakka | Dongguan (Qingxi) | 靚$_2$ |
| Hakka | Shenzhen (Shatoujiao) | 靚$_2$ |
| Hakka | Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui) | 靚$_2$ |
| Hakka | Wuhua (Shuizhai) | 靚$_2$ |
| Hakka | Wuhua (Huacheng) | 俏, 靚$_2$ |
| Hakka | Wuhua (Changbu) | 靚$_2$ |
| Hakka | Wuhua (Mianyang) | 靚$_3$ |
| Hakka | Heyuan (Bendihua) | 靚$_2$ |
| Hakka | Shaoguan (Qujiang) | 靚$_3$ |
| Hakka | Lianshan (Xiaosanjiang) | 排場 |
| Hakka | Liannan | 靚$_2$ |
| Hakka | Guangzhou (Lütian, Conghua) | 靚$_2$ |
| Hakka | Jiexi | 靚$_2$ |
| Hakka | Changting | 靚$_3$ |
| Hakka | Wuping | 靚$_3$ |
| Hakka | Wuping (Pingyu) | 靚$_3$ |
| Hakka | Liancheng | 靚$_3$ |
| Hakka | Ninghua | 靚$_3$ |
| Hakka | Yudu | 標緻, 齊整 |
| Hakka | Ruijin | 靚$_3$ |
| Hakka | Shicheng | 像, 標緻, 好看 |
| Hakka | Shangyou (Shexi) | 靚$_2$, 整, 標緻 |
| Hakka | Miaoli (N. Sixian) | 靚$_3$ |
| Hakka | Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) | 鬧, 靚$_3$ |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) | 靚$_3$ |
| Hakka | Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) | 靚$_3$ |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) | 靚$_3$ |
| Hakka | Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) | 靚$_3$ |
| Hakka | Hong Kong | 靚$_2$ |
| Hakka | Luchuan | 靚$_2$ |
| Hakka | Senai (Huiyang) | 靚$_2$ |
| Hakka | Kuching (Hepo) | 靚$_3$ |
| Huizhou | Jixi | 好看, 標緻, 漂亮 |
| Huizhou | Shexian | 好看, 漂亮 |
| Jin | Taiyuan | 好看, 襲人, 客戲, 漂亮 |
| Jin | Xinzhou | 好看, 漂亮, 標緻, 爽整, 襲人, 緻氣 |
| Jin | Linhe | 美, 襲人, 好看, 漂亮 |
| Jin | Jining | 好看, 襲人 |
| Jin | Hohhot | 好看, 襲人, 俊, 漂亮 |
| Jin | Zhangjiakou | 美, 好看, 漂亮, 俊 |
| Jin | Handan | 美, 好看, 漂亮, 俊俏, 俊 |
| Northern Min | Jian'ou | 好覷, 雅式, 生得好 |
| Eastern Min | Fuzhou | 俊, 生得好, 卓佳, 好看, 漂亮 |
| Eastern Min | Singapore (Fuqing) | 俊 |
| Southern Min | Xiamen | 媠, 好看, 㜅 |
| Southern Min | Xiamen (Tong'an) | 媠, 俏 |
| Southern Min | Quanzhou | 媠, 媠靡, 㜅, 好看 |
| Southern Min | Jinjiang | 媠, 㜅 |
| Southern Min | Shishi | 媠 |
| Southern Min | Anxi | 媠 |
| Southern Min | Zhangzhou | 媠, 好看 |
| Southern Min | Zhao'an | 媠 |
| Southern Min | Dongshan | 媠 |
| Southern Min | Taipei | 媠 |
| Southern Min | New Taipei (Sanxia) | 媠 |
| Southern Min | Kaohsiung | 媠 |
| Southern Min | Tainan | 媠 |
| Southern Min | Kinmen | 媠 |
| Southern Min | Penghu (Magong) | 媠 |
| Southern Min | Penang (Hokkien) | 媠 |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Hokkien) | 媠, 俏 |
| Southern Min | Manila (Hokkien) | 媠, 好看, 㜅 |
| Southern Min | Longyan | 媠 |
| Southern Min | Pingnan (Shangdu) | 靚$_2$ |
| Southern Min | Chaozhou | 雅, 好睇 |
| Southern Min | Shantou | 雅, 媠, 好睇 |
| Southern Min | Shantou (Chenghai) | 雅, 媠 |
| Southern Min | Shantou (Chaoyang) | 雅 |
| Southern Min | Jieyang | 雅, 媠, 如雅 |
| Southern Min | Puning | 雅, 生好, 好睇 |
| Southern Min | Lufeng | 媠, 生好 |
| Southern Min | Haifeng | 媠, 生好 |
| Southern Min | Johor Bahru (Teochew) | 雅 |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Teochew) | 雅 |
| Southern Min | Leizhou | 清楚 |
| Southern Min | Wenchang | 靚$_4$, 好望 |
| Southern Min | Haikou | 靚$_4$, 靚$_2$, 靚仔, 雅目, 都緻 |
| Southern Min | Qionghai | 靚$_4$ |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Hainanese) | 靚$_4$ |
| Zhongshan Min | Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi) | 靚$_2$, 好覷 |
| Southern Pinghua | Nanning (Tingzi) | 㜺, 靚$_2$ |
| Wu | Shanghai | 漂亮, 好看, 好看相, 標緻 |
| Wu | Shanghai (Songjiang) | 畢㜺 |
| Wu | Shanghai (Chuansha, Pudong) | 出客 |
| Wu | Shanghai (Nanhui, Pudong) | 出客 |
| Wu | Shanghai (Fengxian) | 靈 |
| Wu | Shanghai (Jinshan) | 靈 |
| Wu | Shanghai (Chongming) | 標緻, 樣式, 登樣 |
| Wu | Suzhou | 好看, 標緻, 登樣, 漂亮 |
| Wu | Danyang | 好看, 漂亮, 標緻 |
| Wu | Hangzhou | 好看, 漂亮 |
| Wu | Ningbo | 好看, 漂亮, 㜅, 㜅門, 㜅頭, 出格, 架勢, 細巧, 細相, 登樣 |
| Wu | Wenzhou | 好覷, 生好, 骨切 |
| Wu | Jinhua | 好望, 俏, 漂亮 |
| Xiang | Changsha | 好看, 漂亮, 腆靦, 乖 |
| Xiang | Loudi | 漂亮 |
| Xiang | Shuangfeng | 好看, 漂亮 |

#### Antonyms

* 醜陋／丑陋 (chǒulòu)

### Noun

美麗
* beauty
    自然美麗／自然美丽 ― zìrán měilì ― natural beauty
       Tā de měilì quèshì wúyǔlúnbǐ. [Pinyin]
       Her beauty is beyond compare.

#### Usage notes

美麗／美丽 (měilì) can describe objects and movements, as well as people, while 美觀／美观 (měiguān) usually only describes objects, movements, etc., and not people.

### Derived terms

* 美麗奴羊 / 美丽奴羊
* 美麗島事件 / 美丽岛事件 (Měilìdǎo Shìjiàn)

### Descendants

* → Japanese: 美(び)麗(れい) (birei)
* → Vietnamese: mĩ lệ (美麗)

### References

* “美麗”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2025.

## Japanese

Kanji in this term :
| 美 | 麗 |
| び Grade: 3 | れい Grade: S |
| on'yomi ||

### Adjective

美(び)麗(れい) • (birei) -na (adnominal 美(び)麗(れい)な (birei na), adverbial 美(び)麗(れい)に (birei ni))
* beautiful

#### Inflection

Stem forms :
| Imperfective (未然形) | 美麗だろ | びれいだろ | birei daro |
| Continuative (連用形) | 美麗で | びれいで | birei de |
| Terminal (終止形) | 美麗だ | びれいだ | birei da |
| Attributive (連体形) | 美麗な | びれいな | birei na |
| Hypothetical (仮定形) | 美麗なら | びれいなら | birei nara |
| Imperative (命令形) | 美麗であれ | びれいであれ | birei de are |
| Key constructions ||||
| Informal negative | 美麗ではない 美麗じゃない | びれいではない びれいじゃない | birei de wa nai birei ja nai |
| Informal past | 美麗だった | びれいだった | birei datta |
| Informal negative past | 美麗ではなかった 美麗じゃなかった | びれいではなかった びれいじゃなかった | birei de wa nakatta birei ja nakatta |
| Formal | 美麗です | びれいです | birei desu |
| Formal negative | 美麗ではありません 美麗じゃありません | びれいではありません びれいじゃありません | birei de wa arimasen birei ja arimasen |
| Formal past | 美麗でした | びれいでした | birei deshita |
| Formal negative past | 美麗ではありませんでした 美麗じゃありませんでした | びれいではありませんでした びれいじゃありませんでした | birei de wa arimasen deshita birei ja arimasen deshita |
| Conjunctive | 美麗で | びれいで | birei de |
| Conditional | 美麗なら（ば） | びれいなら（ば） | birei nara (ba) |
| Provisional | 美麗だったら | びれいだったら | birei dattara |
| Volitional | 美麗だろう | びれいだろう | birei darō |
| Adverbial | 美麗に | びれいに | birei ni |
| Degree | 美麗さ | びれいさ | bireisa |

#### Antonyms

* 醜陋(しゅうろう) (shūrō, “ugly”)

### Noun

美(び)麗(れい) • (birei)
* (extreme) beauty

#### See also

* 美(うつく)しい (utsukushii): beautiful
* 麗(うるわ)しい (uruwashii): beautiful
* 秀麗(しゅうれい) (shūrei): graceful

#### See also

* Appendix:Gikun_Usage_in_Meiji_Version_of_Japanese_Bible/美麗
* Appendix:Gikun_Usage_in_Meiji_Version_of_Japanese_Bible/美麗(うつくしさ)
* Appendix:Gikun_Usage_in_Meiji_Version_of_Japanese_Bible/美麗き

## Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term :
| 美 | 麗 |

### Adjective

美麗
* chữ Hán form of mĩ lệ (“beautiful; lovely”).