江南与江北

江南與江北
jiāngnán yǔ jiāngběi
quotation

Meanings

  1. 1 Jiangnan and Jiangbei (south and north of the Yangtze)
  2. 2 two shores, two regions, both separated and linked by the great river
  3. 3 (lit.) River-South and River-North

Examples

HSK 3
Chūntiān yī dào, jiāngnányǔjiāngběi de jǐngsè dà bù xiāngtóng.
The moment spring arrives, 'Jiangnan and Jiangbei' look very different.
HSK 7-9
Shīrén xiě jìn jiāngnányǔjiāngběi de lí qíng bié xù.
The poet has captured every parting sentiment of 'the Yangtze's south and north.'

Tips

history
From 王安石's 《泊船瓜洲》 (Northern Song, 1075), written at Guazhou just before crossing the Yangtze on a return journey: 春风又绿江南岸,明月何时照我还 (The spring wind has again greened Jiangnan's shore; when will the bright moon see me home?). The phrase 江南与江北 recurs widely in classical verse as shorthand for 'both sides of the Yangtze.'
usage
江南 = south of the Yangtze: soft, lush, cultured (Suzhou, Hangzhou). 江北 = north of the Yangtze: often rougher, agricultural. The pairing is geographic and cultural, an old Chinese shorthand for 'two worlds, one river.' = and (formal).

Stroke Order

jiāng
nán
běi