Chinese word

乡下

Pronunciation

Pinyinxiāng xià

Meaning

  • nouncountryside

Example

我小时候常在乡下玩。wǒ xiǎo shí hòu cháng zài xiāng xià wán

I often played in the countryside when I was a child.

Illustration for 乡下 (countryside)

More examples

过年我们都回乡下吃团圆饭。guò nián wǒ men dōu huí xiāng xià chī tuán yuán fàn

At New Year, we all go back to the countryside for a reunion dinner.

Core concept

The nonurban side of the landscape: a lived-in place of farms, villages, and open space.

Common phrases

  • 回乡下huí xiāng xià

    go back to the countryside

  • 在乡下zài xiāng xià

    in the countryside

  • 乡下人xiāng xià rén

    rural resident

Similar words

农村nóng cūn: A rural area where agriculture is central, or the people who live in such an area.
乡村xiāng cūn: A village area and its surrounding rural settlements.
田野tián yě: Expansive outdoor land such as fields and farmland, especially as a rural landscape.
乡里xiāng lǐ: The village area and local surroundings associated with one's hometown.

Definition in Chinese

泛指农村、乡村生活的地区，口语中常用来表示与城市相对的田园空间。fàn zhǐ nóng cūn xiāng cūn shēng huó de dì qū kóu yǔ zhōng cháng yòng lái biǎo shì yǔ chéng shì xiāng duì de tián yuán kōng jiān

Word origin

乡下 (xiāngxià, "countryside") joins 乡 (xiāng, "village or rural area") with 下 (xià, "down or below"), creating a place-based term for the rural side of settled life.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, 乡下 (xiāngxià, "countryside") commonly contrasts with the city and can include an ordinary village area, so it does not require a remote or untouched landscape.

Opposites

Related words

  • 乡下人xiāng xià rénrural residentnoun
  • 乡下话xiāng xià huàcountry dialectnoun

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