Chinese word

江

Pronunciation

Pinyinjiāng

Meaning

  • nounriver

Example

他们在江边散步。tā men zài jiāng biān sàn bù

They are taking a walk by the river.

Illustration for 江 (river)

More examples

春天江水涨得很高。chūn tiān jiāng shuǐ zhǎng de hěn gāo

In spring, the river rises very high.

Core concept

A long, broad waterway that dominates a landscape and often becomes a fixed geographic reference.

Common phrases

  • 长江cháng jiāng

    Yangtze River

  • 在江边zài jiāng biān

    by the river

  • 渡过江dù guò jiāng

    cross the river

Similar words

河hé: A general term for a river flowing from mountains or plains to a sea or lake.

Definition in Chinese

河流的一种，通常指较宽或较长的河，常见于河名，如长江等专有称呼。hé liú de yì zhǒng tōng cháng zhǐ jiào kuān huò jiào cháng de hé cháng jiàn yú hé míng rú cháng jiāng děng zhuān yǒu chēng hū

Word origin

江 (jiāng, "river") combines 氵 (shuǐ, "water") + 工 (gōng, "work"); 氵 points to the meaning, while 工 gives a historical sound clue.

Usage tips

  • For counting a river, 条 (tiáo, "strip or length") is a common classifier, reflecting a long continuous feature rather than a single object.

Other meanings

  • large rivernoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 长江cháng jiāngYangtze Rivernoun
  • 江水jiāng shuǐriver waternoun
  • 江面jiāng miànriver surfacenoun

Word lists with this word