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Learn how to describe someone’s appearance and personality in Mandarin Chinese, using body-part vocabulary, adjectives and complete sentences.
Body parts
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 腹肌 | fùjī | abs |
| 胳膊 | gēbo | arm |
| 肚子 | dùzi | belly/stomach |
| 身体 | shēntǐ | body |
| 屁股 | pìgu | butt |
| 脸颊 | liǎnjiá | cheek |
| 下巴 | xiàba | chin |
| 耳朵 | ěrduo | ear |
| 眉毛 | méimao | eyebrows |
| 睫毛 | jiémáo | eyelashes |
| 眼睛 | yǎnjing | eyes |
| 脸 | liǎn | face |
| 手指 | shǒuzhǐ | finger |
| 脚 | jiǎo | foot (spoken) |
| 足 | zú | foot (written) |
| 头发 | tóufa | hair |
| 手 | shǒu | hand |
| 头 | tóu | head |
| 膝盖 | xīgài | knee |
| 腿 | tuǐ | legs |
| 唇 | chún | lips |
| 嘴巴 | zuǐba | mouth |
| 鼻子 | bízi | nose |
| 皮肤 | pífū | skin |
| 大腿 | dàtuǐ | thighs |
Words for appearance and personality
Some entries below are nouns, such as 身材 (figure), rather than adjectives. Words about someone’s weight, looks or attractiveness can sound personal or rude; use them with care. 性感 is an adult description, not a general compliment for strangers.
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 还 可以 | hái kěyǐ | alright |
| 漂亮 | piàoliang | beautiful |
| 大 | dà | big |
| 黑色 | hēisè | black |
| 蓝色 | lán sè | blue |
| 身材 | shēncái | body shape/figure |
| 棕色 | zōng sè | brown |
| 酷 | kù | cool/awesome |
| 卷 | juǎn | curly |
| 可爱 | kě ài | cute |
| 胖 | pàng | fat |
| 风趣 | fēng qù | witty; humorous |
| 好看 | hǎo kàn | good-looking |
| 灰色 | huīsè | gray |
| 绿色 | lǜsè | green |
| 帅 | shuài | handsome |
| 个子 | gèzi | height |
| 身高 | shēngāo | height (a measurement) |
| 长 | cháng | long |
| 橙色 | chéngsè | orange (color) |
| 粉色 | fěnsè | pink |
| 美丽 | měilì | pretty |
| 紫色 | zǐsè | purple |
| 红色 | hóngsè | red |
| 性感 | xìnggǎn | sexy |
| 短 | duǎn | short |
| 矮 | ǎi | short (in height) |
| 害羞 | hài xiū | shy |
| 瘦 | shòu | skinny |
| 小 | xiǎo | small |
| 臭 | chòu | smelly |
| 软 | ruǎn | soft |
| 直 | zhí | straight |
| 高 | gāo | tall |
| 浓 | nóng | thick and dark |
| 淡 | dàn | thin and light |
| 难看 | nán kàn | ugly |
| 白色 | báisè | white |
| 黄色 | huángsè | yellow |
Describe a person or body part
A useful pattern is person + 的 + body part + 很 + adjective. 的 marks possession. 很 literally means “very”, but in a neutral descriptive sentence it is often unstressed and does not necessarily add strong emphasis. 不 negates the adjective: 他的头发不卷 means “His hair is not curly”. 很 and 不 are not positive and negative versions of the same linking word.
A sentence can contain more than one 的. With close family relationships, the first 的 is often omitted, as in 我姐姐的儿子. Both versions below are grammatical.
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 宝贝的鼻子很可爱。 | Bǎobèi de bízi hěn kě’ài. | The baby’s nose is cute. |
| 她的身体很小。 | Tā de shēntǐ hěn xiǎo. | She has a small body. |
| 他的头发很卷。 | Tā de tóufa hěn juǎn. | His hair is curly. |
| 你的脸很漂亮。 | Nǐ de liǎn hěn piàoliang. | Your face is beautiful. |
| 我的姐姐的儿子 | wǒ de jiějie de érzi | my older sister’s son |
| 我姐姐的儿子 | wǒ jiějie de érzi | my older sister’s son (with the first 的 omitted) |
Descriptions ending in 的
Some descriptions use an adjective followed by 的. Many one-syllable adjectives can be reduplicated, as in 小小的, to make a vivid description. Reduplication is optional and does not work with every adjective; it is not a rule that every one-syllable adjective must be repeated.
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 他的手指小小的。 | Tā de shǒuzhǐ xiǎoxiǎo de. | He has small fingers. |
| 阿里的腿瘦瘦的。 | Ālǐ de tuǐ shòushòu de. | Ali has thin legs. |
| 王老师的眉毛淡淡的。 | Wáng lǎoshī de méimao dàndàn de. | Teacher Wang has light eyebrows. |
| 她的身材很性感。 | Tā de shēncái hěn xìnggǎn. | She has a sexy figure. |
| 他的脸很好看。 | Tā de liǎn hěn hǎokàn. | He has a good-looking face. |
Describe personality
For a basic description, use person + 很 + adjective. You can use the same pattern for appearance. Color descriptions also commonly use 是…的, as in the final example.
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 她很害羞。 | Tā hěn hàixiū. | She is shy. |
| 妹妹很聪明。 | Mèimei hěn cōngming. | My younger sister is clever. |
| 他很有趣。 | Tā hěn yǒuqù. | He is interesting. |
| 爸爸很努力。 | Bàba hěn nǔlì. | Dad works hard. |
| Luis 很酷。 | Luis hěn kù. | Luis is cool. |
| 妈妈很漂亮。 | Māma hěn piàoliang. | Mom is beautiful. |
| 爸爸的脸很帅。 | Bàba de liǎn hěn shuài. | Dad has a handsome face. |
| 姐姐有点胖。 | Jiějie yǒudiǎn pàng. | My older sister is a little plump. |
| 弟弟的头发是黑色的。 | Dìdi de tóufa shì hēisè de. | My younger brother’s hair is black. |
Practice
Choose three words and write a respectful description of a family member or fictional character. Check the Chinese, pinyin and meaning together, then revisit your sentences on another day. Reading the sentences aloud also helps you practice pronunciation.
