5 Chinese phrases to compliment a pretty girl

Have one of these timeless expressions ready for when you need it!

Beauty is subjective; we all get that. And while there are plenty of online posts about the latest pretty girl expressions, such as 白富美 (bái fù měi, fair rich beautiful), 萌妹 (méng mèi, adorable younger sister) and 女神 (nǚ shén, a goddess who's unattainable).

We wouldn't want your vocabulary limited to just those "here today, gone tomorrow" fad expressions!

Let's review 5 timeless expressions that show others you appreciate the beauty of women and the language:

秀外慧中

xiù wài huì zhōng

Meaning: Beauty and intelligence (lit. elegant exterior, wisdom interior)

Context: You want to show appreciation for her inner substance.

Example: 

认识越久，越觉得你秀外慧中。

rèn shi yuè jiǔ, yuè jué dé nǐ xiù wài huì zhōng.

The longer I know you, the more I realize you are a perfect blend of beauty and intelligence.

增之一分则太长，减之一分则太短

zēng zhī yī fēn zé tài cháng, jiǎn zhī yī fēn zé tài duǎn

Meaning: Fit and perfect (lit. add an inch too long, cut an inch too short)

Context: You want to compliment someone's physical shape.

Example:

你的身材太好了。简直是增一分则太肥，减一分则太瘦。

nǐ de shēn cái tài hǎo le. jiǎn zhí shì zēng yī fēn zé tài féi, jiǎn yī fēn zé tài shòu.

Your figure looks great. A little more weight would be too much, a little less weight would be too thin.

沉鱼落雁

chén yú luò yàn

Meaning: So beautiful that she crashes fish and birds (lit. dive fish fall goose)

Context: You are floored by her heavenly charms.

Example:

你美得沉鱼落雁。

nǐ měi dé chén yú luò yàn.

Your beauty makes fish dive and geese crash.

闭月羞花

bì yuè xiū huā

Meaning: So beautiful the moon and flowers feel embarrassed (lit. hide moon, shame flower)

Context: You're again floored by someone's heavenly charms, and you've already mastered #3 above.

Example:

你的美是闭月羞花之美。

nǐ dì měi shì bì yuè xiū huā zhī měi.

Your beauty even outshines nature.

情人眼里出西施

qíngrén yǎn lǐ chū xīshī

Meaning: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder (lit. lover eye's produce Xishi, one of the legendary Four China Beauties)

Context: When others question your beauty standards, here's a clever way to silence them and demonstrate a little historic awareness.

Example:

情人眼里出西施嘛,你穿什么都好看。

qíng rén yǎn lǐ chū xī shī ma, nǐ chuān shén me dōu hǎo kàn.

In my eyes, everything looks beautiful on you.

These expressions have been around for centuries and they're not going to disappear anytime soon. But don't feel like you have to learn them all! With Chinese idioms, a little goes a long way.

Click to read another article about how to compliment a guy in Chinese.

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