江南佳丽地

江南佳麗地

jiāngnánjiālìdì

phrase

Meanings

1 Jiangnan, land of beauties
2 (fig.) the lower Yangtze region as the byword for scenic loveliness and cultivated refinement
3 (lit.) Jiangnan — beautiful — land

Characters

south (江南 = south of Yangtze)

beautiful (佳丽 = beautiful)

地

dì

land

Examples

江南佳丽地，自古多才子。

Jiāngnán jiālì dì, zìgǔ duō cáizǐ.

'Jiangnan, land of beauties' — since ancient times rich in talented scholars.

他游苏州时写下江南佳丽地几个字。

Tā yóu Sūzhōu shí xiě xià Jiāngnán jiālì dì jǐ gè zì.

Touring Suzhou, he wrote the four characters 'Jiangnan, land of beauties.'

Tips

history

Opening of 谢朓《入朝曲》 (Xie Tiao, Southern Qi, late 5th c.): 江南佳丽地，金陵帝王州。逶迤带绿水，迢递起朱楼 (Jiangnan, land of beauties; Jinling, realm of emperors. Winding, sashed with green waters; rising high, vermilion towers). Xie Tiao, one of the 'Eight Friends of the Prince of Jingling,' was the Yongming-era poet Li Bai most admired. This line fixed Jiangnan's literary reputation as 佳丽地 for the next 1500 years.

usage

佳丽 here refers to the beauty of the land / scenery, not (primarily) 'beautiful women' (its modern dominant reading). Canonically paired with 金陵帝王州 — together they name both the scenic (Jiangnan) and imperial (Nanjing) dimensions of the southeast.

Stroke Order

江 jiāng

南 nán

佳 jiā

丽 lì

地 dì