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

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.

登高远望,只见沧海一片。

Dēng gāoyuǎn 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 (cānghǎi yī sù, '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 (cānghǎi sāngtián, 'the blue sea becomes mulberry fields') describing world-altering change. 沧 (cāng) specifically means 'dark blue-green', the color of deep water.

Stroke Order

沧 cāng

海 hǎi