美
měi · HSK 3
beautiful
🌸 美 = 羊 (sheep) + 大 (big); a big sheep meant beauty in ancient China
Etymology: the top is 羊 (sheep) and the bottom is 大 (big). In archaic culture a large, well-fed sheep signaled prosperity and aesthetic appeal, so 美 came to mean beautiful or pretty.
美 — sheep 羊 on top + big 大 below
美 is traditionally explained as a pictograph of a person (大) wearing a large sheep or ram's-head ornament, suggesting beauty through adornment. An alternative reading takes 羊 (sheep) over 大 (big) to mean 'a big, fat sheep'—seen as delicious and pleasing, hence 'beautiful, good'.
měi · HSK 2
beautiful
美 = 羊 (sheep) on top of 大 (big) — a big sheep meant beauty and plenty
In ancient China a large, well-fed sheep signaled wealth and goodness, so the compound 羊+大 came to mean beautiful. The sound měi also lives on in 美国 (USA, lit. beautiful country).
美 — sheep 羊 on top + big 大 below
美 is traditionally explained as a pictograph of a person (大) wearing a large sheep or ram's-head ornament, suggesting beauty through adornment. An alternative reading takes 羊 (sheep) over 大 (big) to mean 'a big, fat sheep'—seen as delicious and pleasing, hence 'beautiful, good'.