# 赏心悦目

shǎng xīn yuè mù

Be pleasing to the eye and uplifting

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** Delight the heart and please the eyes

**Traditional Chinese:** 賞心悅目

**Register:** Appreciative · expressive

[Perspective](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/perspective)

## When to use it

Praise attractive, harmonious sights or design.

Aesthetic pleasure does not guarantee usability.

## Understanding the expression

The eyes enjoy what they see, and that enjoyment brings a pleasant feeling to the mind. The expression suits gardens, paintings, neat arrangements, and harmonious design. It usually implies more than conspicuous brightness; balance and clarity can be equally pleasing. The judgment is aesthetic rather than functional. A beautiful interface may still be hard to use, so practical quality should be considered alongside the visual pleasure when evaluating something intended for everyday work.

## Examples

这幅画赏心悦目。

### Traditional Chinese

這幅畫賞心悅目。

zhè fú huà shǎng xīn yuè mù 。

This painting is a pleasure to look at.

窗台上的花摆得赏心悦目。

### Traditional Chinese

窗臺上的花擺得賞心悅目。

chuāng tái shàng de huā bǎi dé shǎng xīn yuè mù 。

The flowers on the windowsill are arranged delightfully.

清爽的版面令人赏心悦目。

### Traditional Chinese

清爽的版面令人賞心悅目。

qīng shuǎng de bǎn miàn lìng rén shǎng xīn yuè mù 。

The clean layout is visually pleasing.

雨后的田野格外赏心悦目。

### Traditional Chinese

雨後的田野格外賞心悅目。

yǔ hòu de tián yě gé wài shǎng xīn yuè mù 。

The fields after the rain are especially lovely to see.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 6, 2026.

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E8%B3%9E%E5%BF%83%E6%82%85%E7%9B%AE)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=1025&webMd=1&la=0)

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