优美

• Pinyin: yōu měi
• Hanzi breakdown: 优 = 亻(person) + 忧 (phonetic), excellent; 美 = 羊 (sheep) + 大 (large), beautiful

Meaning

Graceful; elegant; beautiful. Describes something that is pleasing in an refined or aesthetically harmonious way.

Applied to dance, music, scenery, language, and style of movement. 优美 emphasises aesthetic elegance and harmony rather than just visual attractiveness. It can describe both physical grace (姿态优美) and auditory beauty (旋律优美).

Examples

1. 她跳舞的姿态十分优美，赢得了全场热烈的掌声。 Her dancing posture is extremely graceful and earned warm applause from the entire audience.
2. 这首钢琴曲旋律优美，让听众的心情十分舒畅。 The melody of this piano piece is beautiful, leaving listeners feeling very relaxed and uplifted.
3. 湖边的自然风景优美，每逢周末都吸引很多人来散步。 The natural scenery by the lake is beautiful, attracting many people to stroll there every weekend.

Usage Guide

Context: arts, nature, everyday

Tone: appreciative

Do Say

• 她的字写得非常优美。(Her handwriting is extremely elegant.)
• 这篇文章语言优美，读起来令人心旷神怡。(The language in this article is graceful; reading it is refreshing.)

Don't Say

• 用'优美'形容粗犷或有力量感的事物 (Don't use 优美 for things characterised by raw power or roughness — it implies gentle refinement; use 雄壮 or 有力 for powerful or bold aesthetics)

Origin & History

A compound of 优 (excellent) and 美 (beautiful; 羊 sheep + 大 large, originally meaning fat sheep = good). Together they convey refined, graceful beauty.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal