沧海

滄海

cānghǎi

noun #35,380

Meanings

1 the deep blue sea
2 the great ocean
3 vast sea

Characters

dark blue-green

Examples

HSK 7-9

他的成就在历史上不过是沧海一粟。

Tā de chéngjiù zài lìshǐ shàng bùguò shì cānghǎi yī sù.

His achievements are but a drop in the ocean of history.

HSK 7-9

登高远望，只见沧海一片。

Dēng gāo yuǎn wàng, zhǐjiàn cānghǎi yīpiàn.

Climbing high and gazing far, all you see is the vast sea.

Tips

history

Anchors two famous chengyu: 沧海一粟 ('a grain in the ocean' - a drop in the bucket) from Su Shi's 《前赤壁赋》 (Red Cliff Rhapsody, 1082 CE), and 沧海桑田 ('the blue sea becomes mulberry fields') describing world-altering change. 沧 specifically means 'dark blue-green', the color of deep water.

Stroke Order

沧 cāng

海 hǎi