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山清水秀

Mandarin · pinyin shān qīng shuǐ xiù

lit. verdant hills and limpid water (idiom)
fig. enchanting scenery

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Characters in this entry

山: shān · mountain, hill, peak
清: qīng · clear, pure, clean; peaceful
水: shuǐ · water, liquid, lotion, juice
秀: xiù · ear of grain; flowering, luxuriant; refined, elegant, graceful

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1–1–3–4 · shan1 qing1 shui3 xiu4

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

saan1 cing1 seoi2 sau3

Cantonese word readings for 山清水秀. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) picturesque scenery; beautiful mountains and rivers

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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