山 明 水 秀

shān míng shuǐ xiùdictionary entry

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

Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-249eba49c9174222. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

山明水秀山明水秀 [shan1 ming2 shui3 xiu4] /lit. verdant hills and limpid water (idiom)/fig. enchanting scenery/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

山
shān
mountain / hill (CL:座[zuò]) / (coll.) small bundle of straw for silkworms to spin cocoons on
Shān
surname Shan
明
míng
bright / opposite: dark 暗[àn] / (of meaning) clear / to understand / next / public or open / wise / generic term for a sacrifice to the gods
Míng
Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) / surname Ming / Ming (c. 2000 BC), fourth of the legendary Flame Emperors, 炎帝[Yán dì] descended from Shennong 神農|神农[Shén nóng] Farmer God
水
shuǐ
water / (after a name) ... River / to swim (used mostly in 會水|会水[huì shuǐ] and 水性[shuǐ xìng]) / (coll.) lacking in substance / shoddy / (bound form) additional cost / extra income / classifier for washings of a garment
Shuǐ
surname Shui / Shui ethnic group
秀
xiù
(bound form) refined / elegant / graceful / beautiful / (bound form) superior / excellent / (loanword) show (as in 時裝秀|时装秀[shí zhuāng xiù]) / (loanword) to show off / to flaunt (as in 秀廚藝|秀厨艺[xiù chú yì]) / (literary) to grow / to bloom / (of grain crops) to produce ears

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.