Is Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

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Nov 08 • 288 read

Which of the following is better to use? Or it depends on the context of the conversation?

美在旁觀者的眼睛

情人眼里出西施

So just to clarify, I am looking for something generic as close to as possible to the English version. One that can be referred to any objects not just female. I personally do not like this 情人眼里出西施 even if it is used in expression for a female. Because I do not know who was 西施 or I agreed if I had seen her. And it limited to 西施!

Answer

If using 西施, (as a general / traditional indication of physical beauty), is not comfortable to you, then you can say, 情人眼里出美人 or 美在情人眼.

BTW, 旁觀者 means "bystander", i.e., someone who is an "objective observer", whereas "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" denotes a "subjective assessment / opinion" by an involved beholder.

So, 美在旁觀者的眼睛, (which is unnecessarily verbose and awkward) could be "idiomized" to 美在情人眼.

However, if you are looking for a "generic" phrase that applies to both persons and objects of interest, then perhaps 美在各眼中？which takes away the narrower application to 情人 only.

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