The appreciation of beauty is a universal trait, and provides an engaging topic of conversation. The Mandarin Chinese phrase for “beautiful” or “pretty” is ►piào liàng, and can be used to describe people, places, or objects.

Piào liàng consists of two characters: 漂亮. The first character, 漂 (piào) means “elegant” or “polished.” The second character, 亮 (liàng) means “light,” or “bright.”

The literal translation of piào liàng, then, is “elegant and bright.”
Examples of Piao Liang

► Nǐ de yī fu hěn piào liàng.
你的衣服很漂亮｡
你的衣服很漂亮｡
Your clothes are very pretty.

► Táiwān de tài lǔ gé fēng jǐng hěn piào liàng.
台灣的太魯閣風景很漂亮｡
台湾的太鲁阁风景很漂亮｡
Taiwan’s Taroko Gorge is a beautiful place.