七里香

qīlǐxiāng

noun

Meanings

1 Qilixiang (hit 2004 Jay Chou song and album)
2 orange jasmine (Murraya paniculata)
3 literally 'fragrant for seven li'

Characters

li (Chinese mile, ~500m)

Examples

HSK 4

花园里的七里香开得正香。

Huāyuán lǐ de qīlǐxiāng kāi de zhèng xiāng.

The orange jasmine in the garden is in full fragrant bloom.

HSK 5

《七里香》是周杰伦最经典的歌之一。

《 Qīlǐxiāng 》 shì Zhōu Jiélún zuì jīngdiǎn de gē zhīyī.

'Qilixiang' is one of Jay Chou's most classic songs.

Tips

culture

The 2004 album 七里香 sold over 3 million copies and defined Jay Chou's (周杰伦) golden era. The title track's lyrics by 方文山 (Vincent Fong) open with 窗外的麻雀在电线杆上多嘴 ('sparrows outside the window chatter on the telephone pole'), now one of the most-quoted opening lines in Mandopop.

usage

Literally 'seven li fragrant' - folk name for the orange jasmine, whose scent supposedly carries for 七里 (~3.5 km). The plant meaning is older; the song made the phrase universally recognizable.

In Pop Culture

周杰伦《七里香》 Zhōujiélún 《 Qīlǐxiāng 》

Jay Chou, 'Qilixiang' (2004)

Title track of his 2004 album - one of the best-selling Mandarin albums of the 2000s, still a karaoke staple.

Stroke Order

七 qī

里 lǐ

香 xiāng