山川

shānchuān

noun HSK 7-9 #30,179

Meanings

1 mountains and rivers; natural landscape

Characters

Literally 'mountains and rivers' - a poetic shorthand for the natural landscape of a region or the entire country.

Examples

HSK 3

他游遍了大好山川。

Tā yóu biàn le dàhǎo shānchuān.

He traveled across all the great landscapes.

HSK 7-9

祖国的山川壮丽无比。

Zǔguó de shānchuān zhuànglì wúbǐ.

The mountains and rivers of our homeland are incomparably magnificent.

Tips

culture

山川 is one of Chinese culture's most powerful symbols for the nation itself. The phrase 大好河山 ('magnificent rivers and mountains') is essentially a synonym for 'our country.' Patriotic poetry constantly uses mountains and rivers to represent China.

Stroke Order

山 shān

川 chuān