美

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See also: 菐 and 実
美 U+7F8E, 美
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-7F8E
← 羍
[U+7F8D] 		CJK Unified Ideographs 羏 →
[U+7F8F]

Translingual[edit]

Stroke order
9 strokes
Stroke order
(Chinese)
Stroke order
(Japan)

Han character[edit]

美 (Kangxi radical 123, 羊+3, 9 strokes, cangjie input 廿土大 (TGK), four-corner 80431, composition ⿱𦍌大)

Descendants[edit]

Derived characters[edit]

References[edit]

  • KangXi: page 951, character 10
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 28435
  • Dae Jaweon: page 1393, character 17
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 5, page 3126, character 5
  • Unihan data for U+7F8E


Chinese[edit]

trad. 美
simp. # 美
alternative forms 媄
羙
媺 ancient
嬍 ancient
𫟈

Glyph origin[edit]

Historical forms of the character 美
Shang Western Zhou
Oracle bone script Bronze inscriptions
Characters in the same phonetic series (美) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 
Old Chinese
美 *mriʔ
渼 *mriʔ
媄 *mriʔ

Pictogram (象形) – a person (大) wearing a headdress (now written 羊) of feathers or ram's horn.

The modern form could be considered an ideogrammic compound (會意): 羊 (“ram or feathers”) + 大 (“person”).

Etymology[edit]

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *mwaj (“beautiful, well, perfectly”) (STEDT).

According to Schuessler (2007), cognate with Mizo mawi (“beautiful, lovely”), Jingpho moi (“perfectly, beautifully”) as well as Karbi me- (“be good”) and Jingpho cha mai (“good”); the former two items from *moy "beautiful" and the latter from *may "good, well", which were two roots reconstructed separately by Benedict (1972).

Pronunciation[edit]

Note:
  • mui2 - literary;
  • bhuê2 - vernacular.
  • Wu
  • Xiang
    • Rime
    Character 美
    Reading # 1/1
    Initial (聲) 明 (4)
    Final (韻) 脂 (17)
    Tone (調) Rising (X)
    Openness (開合) Open
    Division (等) III
    Fanqie 無鄙切
    Baxter mijX
    Reconstructions
    Zhengzhang
    Shangfang         		/mˠiɪX/
    Pan
    Wuyun         		/mᵚiX/
    Shao
    Rongfen         		/miɪX/
    Edwin
    Pulleyblank         		/mjiX/
    Li
    Rong         		/mjiX/
    Wang
    Li         		/miX/
    Bernard
    Karlgren         		/miX/
    Expected
    Mandarin
    Reflex         		mǐ
    Expected
    Cantonese
    Reflex         		mei5
    Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
    Character 美
    Reading # 1/1
    Modern
    Beijing
    (Pinyin)         		měi
    Middle
    Chinese         		‹ mijX ›
    Old
    Chinese         		/*[m]rəjʔ/
    English beautiful

    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
    Reading # 1/1
    No. 8951
    Phonetic
    component         		美
    Rime
    group         		脂
    Rime
    subdivision         		2
    Corresponding
    MC rime         		美
    Old
    Chinese         		/*mriʔ/
    Notes 甲文象大人首插翎羽表美觀，
    取陳獨秀說

    Definitions[edit]

    美

    1. beautiful; pretty; attractive; good-looking
      美人  ―  měirén  ―  beautiful woman
      香港的夜景真美啊！ [MSC, trad. and simp.]
      Xiānggǎng de yèjǐng zhēn měi a! [Pinyin]
      Hong Kong's nightscape is so beautiful!
    2. delicious; tasty; flavoursome
      美食  ―  měishí  ―  culinary delicacy
    3. good; fine; satisfactory; happy
      美酒  ―  měijiǔ  ―  good wine
      價廉物美／价廉物美  ―  jiàliánwùměi  ―  to be attractive in price and quality
    4. to beautify; to prettify
      美容  ―  měiróng  ―  to improve one's appearance
    5. to praise; to commend
    6. (colloquial) to be pleased with oneself
      他不就是得了個一百分兒嗎？看把他美得！ [MSC, trad.]
      他不就是得了个一百分儿吗？看把他美得！ [MSC, simp.]
      Tā bù jiù shi dé le ge yī bǎi fēnr ma? Kàn bǎ tā měi de! [Pinyin]
      Didn't he just get a one hundred percent? Look at how pleased it made him!
    7. beautiful things; beauty
      藝術美／艺术美  ―  yìshù měi  ―  artistic beauty
      曲線美／曲线美  ―  qūxiàn měi  ―  (please add an English translation of this example)
    8. Short for 美洲 (Měizhōu, “America (continent)”).
      南美  ―  Nánměi  ―  South America
    9. Short for 美國／美国 (Měiguó, “United States of America”).
      美籍華人／美籍华人  ―  Měi jí Huárén  ―  Chinese American
    10. a surname. Mei

    Synonyms[edit]

    Dialectal synonyms of 漂亮 (“good-looking; beautiful; pretty”) [map]
    Variety Location Words
    Formal (Written Standard Chinese) 漂亮, 好看, 美, 美麗, 美觀, 佳
    Mandarin Beijing 好看, 漂亮, 俊
    Taiwan 好看, 漂亮
    Tianjin 好看, 漂亮
    Tangshan 好看
    Cangzhou 好看, 漂亮, 俊
    Baoding 好看, 漂亮
    Shijiazhuang 好看
    Chifeng 好看, 漂亮, 標緻
    Hulunbuir (Hailar) 好看, 漂亮
    Harbin 好看, 漂亮, 俊, 美
    Shenyang 美, 好看, 漂亮, 標緻
    Yantai (Muping) 俊
    Qingdao 漂亮, 俊
    Jinan 好看, 漂亮, 俊, 俊巴, 美
    Luoyang 好看, 漂亮, 美, 標緻
    Wanrong 好看
    Zhengzhou 漂亮, 標緻, 好看, 齊整
    Xi'an 美, 好看, 漂亮, 標緻, 嫽, 排場, 心疼
    Yinchuan 美, 好看, 漂亮, 標緻, 俊
    Lanzhou 好看, 漂亮, 美, 俊
    Xining 好看, 標緻, 俊, 秀溜
    Ürümqi 美, 好看, 漂亮, 標緻, 翠活
    Wuhan 好看, 漂亮, 標緻, 體面, 寧馨, 標, 媌, 刮氣, 美
    Chengdu 好看, 漂亮, 乖, 抻抖, 抻展
    Chongqing 美, 好看, 漂亮, 乖, 抻抖
    Guiyang 抻透, 抻展, 好看, 漂亮, 秀氣
    Kunming 好看, 漂亮, 標緻
    Guilin 漂亮
    Liuzhou 美, 好看, 漂亮, 靚2, 㜺
    Xuzhou 好看, 漂亮, 標緻, 俊, 冠冕, 辦事
    Yangzhou 美, 好看, 漂亮, 標緻, 不醜
    Nanjing 好看, 漂亮, 標緻, 不醜
    Hefei 美, 漂亮, 好看, 格式, 排場
    Nantong 好看, 漂亮
    Singapore 美, 好看, 漂亮, 美麗
    Cantonese Guangzhou 靚2, 好睇, 好樣
    Hong Kong 靚2, 好睇
    Hong Kong (Kam Tin Weitou) 靚2
    Macau 靚2
    Guangzhou (Panyu) 靚2
    Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu) 靚2
    Guangzhou (Conghua) 靚2
    Guangzhou (Zengcheng) 靚2
    Foshan 靚2
    Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai) 靚2
    Foshan (Shunde) 靚2
    Foshan (Sanshui) 靚2
    Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming) 靚2
    Zhongshan (Shiqi) 靚2
    Zhuhai (Qianshan) 靚2
    Zhuhai (Doumen, Shangheng Tanka) 靚2
    Zhuhai (Doumen) 靚2
    Jiangmen (Baisha) 靚2
    Jiangmen (Xinhui) 靚2
    Taishan 靚2
    Kaiping (Chikan) 靚2
    Enping (Niujiang) 靚2
    Heshan (Yayao) 靚2
    Dongguan 靚2, 好樣
    Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an) 靚2
    Yangjiang 好看, 好樣, 靚2, 整齊
    Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu) 靚2
    Penang (Guangfu) 靚2
    Singapore (Guangfu) 靚2
    Gan Nanchang 客氣, 好看, 漂亮, 齊整
    Lichuan 好看
    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
    Xingning 靚2
    Huizhou (Huicheng Bendihua) 靚2
    Huiyang 靚2
    Huidong (Daling) 靚2
    Dongguan (Qingxi) 靚2
    Shenzhen (Shatoujiao) 靚2
    Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui) 靚2
    Wuhua (Shuizhai) 靚2
    Wuhua (Huacheng) 俏, 靚2
    Wuhua (Changbu) 靚2
    Wuhua (Mianyang) 靚3
    Heyuan (Bendihua) 靚2
    Shaoguan (Qujiang) 靚3
    Lianshan (Xiaosanjiang) 排場
    Liannan 靚2
    Conghua (Lütian) 靚2
    Jiexi 靚2
    Changting 靚3
    Wuping 靚3
    Wuping (Pingyu) 靚3
    Liancheng 靚3
    Ninghua 靚3
    Yudu 標緻, 齊整
    Ruijin 靚3
    Shicheng 像, 標緻, 好看
    Shangyou (Shexi) 靚2, 整, 標緻
    Miaoli (N. Sixian) 靚3
    Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) 鬧, 靚3
    Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) 靚3
    Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) 靚3
    Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) 靚3
    Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) 靚3
    Hong Kong 靚2
    Luchuan 靚2
    Senai (Huiyang) 靚2
    Kuching (Hepo) 靚3
    Huizhou Jixi 好看, 標緻, 漂亮
    Shexian 好看, 漂亮
    Jin Taiyuan 好看, 襲人, 客戲, 漂亮
    Xinzhou 好看, 漂亮, 標緻, 爽整, 襲人, 緻氣
    Linhe 美, 襲人, 好看, 漂亮
    Jining 好看, 襲人
    Hohhot 好看, 襲人, 俊, 漂亮
    Zhangjiakou 美, 好看, 漂亮, 俊
    Handan 美, 好看, 漂亮, 俊俏, 俊
    Min Bei Jian'ou 好覷, 雅式, 生得好
    Min Dong Fuzhou 俊, 生得好, 卓佳, 好看, 漂亮
    Singapore (Fuqing) 俊
    Min Nan Xiamen 媠, 好看
    Xiamen (Tong'an) 媠, 俏
    Quanzhou 媠, 媠靡, 㜅, 好看
    Shishi 媠
    Anxi 媠
    Zhangzhou 媠, 好看
    Zhao'an 媠
    Dongshan 媠
    Taipei 媠
    New Taipei (Sanxia) 媠
    Kaohsiung 媠
    Tainan 媠
    Kinmen 媠
    Penghu (Magong) 媠
    Penang (Hokkien) 媠
    Singapore (Hokkien) 媠, 俏
    Manila (Hokkien) 媠, 好看, 㜅
    Longyan 媠
    Chaozhou 雅, 好睇
    Shantou 雅, 媠, 好睇
    Shantou (Chenghai) 雅, 媠
    Shantou (Chaoyang) 雅
    Jieyang 雅, 媠, 如雅
    Lufeng 媠, 生好
    Haifeng 媠, 生好
    Johor Bahru (Teochew) 雅
    Singapore (Teochew) 雅
    Leizhou 清楚
    Wenchang 靚4, 好望
    Haikou 靚4, 靚2, 靚仔, 雅目, 都緻
    Qionghai 靚4
    Singapore (Hainanese) 靚4
    Southern Pinghua Nanning (Tingzi) 㜺, 靚2
    Wu Shanghai 漂亮, 好看, 好看相, 標緻
    Shanghai (Chongming) 標緻, 樣式, 登樣
    Suzhou 好看, 標緻, 登樣, 漂亮
    Danyang 好看, 漂亮, 標緻
    Hangzhou 好看, 漂亮
    Ningbo 好看, 漂亮, 㜅, 㜅門, 㜅頭, 出格, 架勢, 細巧, 細相, 登樣
    Wenzhou 好覷, 生好, 骨切
    Jinhua 好望, 俏, 漂亮
    Xiang Changsha 好看, 漂亮, 腆靦, 乖
    Loudi 漂亮
    Shuangfeng 好看, 漂亮

    Compounds[edit]

    Derived terms from 美

    Descendants[edit]

    Sino-Xenic (美):
    • → Japanese: 美(み) (mi); 美(び) (bi)
    • → Korean: 미(美) (mi)
    • → Vietnamese: mĩ (美)

    References[edit]

    Japanese[edit]

    Kanji[edit]

    美

    (grade 3 “Kyōiku” kanji)

    1. beauty; beautiful

    Readings[edit]

    Compounds[edit]

    Derived terms

    Etymology 1[edit]

    Kanji in this term
    美
    び
    Grade: 3
    kan’on

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Adjective[edit]

    美(び) • (bi) -na (adnominal 美(び)な (bi na), adverbial 美(び)に (bi ni))

    1. beautiful
    Inflection[edit]
    Inflection of 美
    Stem forms
    Imperfective (未然形) 美だろ びだろ bi daro
    Continuative (連用形) 美で びで bi de
    Terminal (終止形) 美だ びだ bi da
    Attributive (連体形) 美な びな bi na
    Hypothetical (仮定形) 美なら びなら bi nara
    Imperative (命令形) 美であれ びであれ bi de are
    Key constructions
    Informal negative 美ではない
    美じゃない         		びではない
    びじゃない         		bi de wa nai
    bi ja nai
    Informal past 美だった びだった bi datta
    Informal negative past 美ではなかった
    美じゃなかった         		びではなかった
    びじゃなかった         		bi de wa nakatta
    bi ja nakatta
    Formal 美です びです bi desu
    Formal negative 美ではありません
    美じゃありません         		びではありません
    びじゃありません         		bi de wa arimasen
    bi ja arimasen
    Formal past 美でした びでした bi deshita
    Formal negative past 美ではありませんでした
    美じゃありませんでした         		びではありませんでした
    びじゃありませんでした         		bi de wa arimasen deshita
    bi ja arimasen deshita
    Conjunctive 美で びで bi de
    Conditional 美なら（ば） びなら（ば） bi nara (ba)
    Provisional 美だったら びだったら bi dattara
    Volitional 美だろう びだろう bi darō
    Adverbial 美に びに bi ni
    Degree 美さ びさ bisa
    Classical conjugation of "美なり" (ナリ活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)
    Stem forms
    Irrealis (未然形) 美なら びなら binara
    Continuative (連用形) 美に[1]
    美なり[2]    		 びに
    びなり    		 bini
    binari
    Terminal (終止形) 美なり びなり binari
    Attributive (連体形) 美なる びなる binaru
    Realis (已然形) 美なれ びなれ binare
    Imperative (命令形) 美なれ びなれ binare
    Key constructions
    Negative 美ならず びならず binarazu
    Contrasting conjunction 美なれど びなれど binaredo
    Causal conjunction 美なれば びなれば binareba
    Conditional conjunction 美ならば びならば binaraba
    Past tense (firsthand knowledge) 美なりき びなりき binariki
    Past tense (secondhand knowledge) 美なりけり びなりけり binarikeri
    Adverbial 美に びに bini
    [1]Without auxiliary verb.
    [2]With auxiliary verb.

    Noun[edit]

    美(び) • (bi) 

    1. beauty
      自(し)然(ぜん)の美(び)
      shizen no bi
      beauty of nature; natural beauty

    Etymology 2[edit]

    Kanji in this term
    美
    み
    Grade: 3
    goon

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Affix[edit]

    美(み) • (mi) 

    1. beauty; beautiful

    Suffix[edit]

    美(み) • (-mi) 

    1. suffix used by female given names, such as 奈美 (なみ, Nami), 恵美 (えみ, Emi; めぐみ, Megumi), 宏美 (ひろみ, Hiromi)
    2. (rare) suffix used by male given names

    References[edit]

    1. ^ 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

    Korean[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    From Middle Chinese 美 (MC mˠiɪX).

    Historical Readings
    Dongguk Jeongun Reading
    Dongguk Jeongun, 1448 밍〯 (Yale: mǐ)
    Middle Korean
    Text Eumhun
    Gloss (hun) Reading
    Gwangju Cheonjamun, 1575 아ᄅᆞᆷ다올 (Yale: alom-tawol) 미 (Yale: mi)

    Pronunciation[edit]

    • (USA (in compounds)):
    • (beauty; good; etc.):
      • (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [mi(ː)]
      • Phonetic hangul: [미(ː)]
        • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

    Hanja[edit]

    Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

    Wikisource

    美 (eumhun 아름다울 미 (areumdaul mi))

    1. Hanja form? of 미 (“beauty; beautiful”). [noun]
    2. Hanja form? of 미 (“the USA, the Americas (in compounds, in news media)”). [proper noun]

    Compounds[edit]

    Compounds

    Proper noun[edit]

    Hanja in this term
    美

    美 • (Mi) (hangeul 미)

    1. (in headlines) Short for 美(미)國(국) (Miguk, “the USA”).
      美, 제안에 대해 긍정적 입장 보여
      Mi, jeane daehae geungjeongjeok ipjang boyeo
      The United States expressed a positive attitude toward the proposal.

    Usage notes[edit]

    A common convention in news headlines, this is almost always written solely in the Hanja form, even in contemporary Korean text otherwise devoid of any Hanja.

    References[edit]

    • 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [2]

    Vietnamese[edit]

    Han character[edit]

    美: Hán Việt readings: mỹ[1][2], mĩ[3]
    美: Nôm readings: mẻ[2][3][4], mẹ[1][2], mỹ[1][2], mẽ[1][4], mỉa[1][4], mở[1], mỉ[3], mĩ[4]

    1. chữ Hán form of mĩ/mỹ (“beautiful; pretty; good”).

    Compounds[edit]

    References[edit]

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Nguyễn (2014).
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Nguyễn et al. (2009).
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Trần (2004).
    4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Taberd & Pigneau de Béhaine (1838).
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