When we look at pictures from past dynasties in China, we can see that girls who were considered “beauties of the ages” look vastly different from girls who follow today’s beauty standards.

当我们回顾中国历代的照片，我们会发现被认为“当代美女”和如今的美女标准天差地别。

Some features of Chinese beauties have not changed for thousands of years while other facets¹ are completely opposite of the traditional idea of beauty in China.

一些中国女性美的特征几千年都不曾改编，而另一些则和中国传统美的概念截然相反。

Skin

皮肤

For thousands of years, ‘creamy skin’ has been considered a staple² of Chinese beauty. Often the phrases “transparent³ crystal” and “warm jade⁴” are used to describe the beautiful skin. The standard for beautiful skin is not limited to a pure white skin color, but includes pink – reflecting the harmonious⁵ beauty of red touched with white.

几千年来，“白皙晶莹的皮肤”都被认为是东方美人的一大特征。通常成语“晶莹剔透”和“温润如玉”被用来描述完美的肌肤。完美肌肤的标准并不局限于白皙如雪的色泽，也包括了粉色——反映出白里透红的和谐美感。

Hair

头发

Dark, bright, thick and long hair is the only type considered traditionally beautiful when hair is concerned. People praise thick, black hair like streaks⁶ of clouds in the sky.

提到头发，黑色、光亮、浓密的长发被认为是传统的东方美人唯一特征。人们夸赞浓密的黑发如同“天空中的暗纹”。

Hairstyles throughout Chinese history have varied⁷, influenced by a particular concubine who represents the style of each dynasty. Styles have ranged from straight hair (Zhang Lihua), curly hair (Zhao Hede), ornate hairdos (Zhao Feiyan) to hair that is gathered up on top of the head and decorated with various ornaments⁸.

中国历史上的发型受特殊的妾室的影响多种多样纷呈不同，每个人都代表了每个朝代的美人发型。从直发（张丽华），卷发（赵合德），华丽的发型（赵飞燕）还有把头发盘在头顶并配饰上各种各样的饰品。

Face

脸型

The ideal features for Chinese women, however, are 'melon seed face' (the English translation would be an oval face, but with a pointed⁹ chin) and 'goose egg face'. Dating sites even list face shape as important information alongside build, age, etc.

中国女性的理想美貌，则是“瓜子脸”（英文翻译该是oval face-鹅蛋脸, 不过是尖下巴）还有“鹅蛋脸“。约会网站还把脸型列为和住所、年龄等等一样的重要信息。

Eyes

眼睛

In ancient China, the standard of beautiful eyes is not only focused on charm, but also a sense of propriety¹⁰ and class. Phrases "Like Autumn water" and "autumn moiré" have historically been used to describe the beauty of eyes. Therefore, clear bright eyes represent the beauty standard. A poem written about Yang Guifei praises that "the enchanting¹¹ eyes makes six palace powder women have no colour."

在中国古代，美女眼睛的标准不仅仅是“有吸引力的”，而且还要透露着礼节和阶级。像“如一汪秋水”还有“剪水秋瞳”这样的成语都被用来描摹美目。因此，澄澈明亮的眼睛成为了美女的标准。一首描写杨贵妃的词就这样赞誉到“回眸一笑百媚生，六宫粉黛无颜色。”

Hands

手

“Tender bamboo shoots” and “white jade” are the classical phrases used to describe beautiful hands in ancient China. Fingers should be long, delicate and graceful¹², but not too spindly. In addition, beautiful hands had to be white, smooth and seemingly boneless.

“纤纤玉指”、“白皙如玉”是形容古代东方美女手的经典成语。手指必须是修长、精巧且优雅的，但是不能太细长。而且，纤细玉手必须是白皙的、光滑的，并且看上去柔若无骨。

Hips¹³

臀

Whether the hips are full and round or not has been a varying standard of beauty through Chinese history. Although modern girls tend to favor a narrow silhouette¹⁴, during earlier dynasties such as the Tang Dynasty women with wide hips were considered especially beautiful. The reason was that Chinese believe that women will be more likely to have healthy babies if their hips are full and round.

在中国的历史长河中，美人臀部是否饱满圆润标准不一。虽然现代女性倾向于窄臀，在像唐朝这样早些年代，美女都是宽臀。原因在于，中国人认为女人臀部圆润宽大更容易生出健康的孩子。

Waists

腰

The shape of a woman’s waist is another attribute that has undergone change. Nowadays, a slender waist is considered to be one of the most desirable features a woman can possess. This modern standard is similar to the preferences observed during the Han Dynasty when slender, narrow waist. But during the Tang Dynasty women who were round and full-waisted were considered beautiful.

女性的腰型也是另一项千年未曾改变的美女标准。如今，楚腰纤细仍为认为是女性梦寐以求的腰身。现代的这项美女标准和汉朝杨柳细腰的标准如出一辙。但是在唐朝，女性圆润且丰盈的腰身则被当做是美的标准。