描边 (miáobiān) literally means 'to trace the edge' — 描 (miáo) means 'to sketch, outline, or depict', and 边 (biān) means 'edge, border, or side'. Together, they form a verb meaning to draw or add a distinct line around the contour of an object, commonly used in art, design, and digital image editing. It emphasizes defining shape boundaries for clarity or visual emphasis.

The term is frequently applied when refining drawings of animals — for instance, outlining a cat’s silhouette to separate it from the background, or enhancing feather edges in a bird illustration. In graphic software, 描边 often refers to applying a stroke or border to shapes or text. While it originated in traditional ink painting, today it’s widely used in both analog and digital contexts, especially when precision or stylistic definition is needed.