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江南与江北

江南與江北
jiāngnányǔjiāngběi
phrase

Meanings

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

Examples

春天一到，江南与江北的景色大不相同。
Chūntiān yī dào, jiāngnán yǔ jiāngběi de jǐngsè dà bù xiāngtóng.
The moment spring arrives, 'Jiangnan and Jiangbei' look very different.
诗人写尽江南与江北的离情别绪。
Shīrén xiě jìn jiāngnán yǔ jiāngběi de líqíng biéxù.
The poet has captured every parting sentiment of 'the Yangtze's south and north.'

Tips

history
From 王安石《泊船瓜洲》(Wang Anshi, Northern Song, 1075), written at Guazhou just before crossing the Yangtze on a return journey: 京口瓜洲一水间，钟山只隔数重山。春风又绿江南岸，明月何时照我还 (Jingkou and Guazhou are parted by a single stretch of water; Bell Mountain is only a few ranges off. The spring wind has again greened Jiangnan's shore — when will the bright moon see me home?). The line 江南与江北 recurs widely in classical verse as a shorthand for 'both sides of the Yangtze.' Also prominent in 辛弃疾, 王观 《卜算子·送鲍浩然之浙东》: 水是眼波横，山是眉峰聚。欲问行人去那边？眉眼盈盈处。才始送春归，又送君归去。若到江南赶上春，千万和春住 (also references 江南).
usage
江南 (Jiangnan) = south of the Yangtze: soft, lush, cultured (Suzhou, Hangzhou). 江北 (Jiangbei) = north of the Yangtze: often rougher, agricultural. The pairing is geographic *and* cultural — an old Chinese shorthand for 'two worlds, one river.' 与 = and (formal).

Stroke Order

江 jiāng
南 nán
与 yǔ
北 běi