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海晏河清

hǎi yàn hé qīngdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
(lit.) the Yellow River is clear and the seas are calm (idiom) / (fig.) the world is at peace
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-5c31de3b462c4ec5. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

海晏河清 海晏河清 [hai3 yan4 he2 qing1] /(lit.) the Yellow River is clear and the seas are calm (idiom)/(fig.) the world is at peace/

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.

  • 海
    hǎi

    ocean / sea / CL:個|个[gè],片[piàn] / great number of people or things / (dialect) numerous

    Hǎi

    surname Hai

  • 晏
    yàn

    late / quiet

    Yàn

    surname Yan

  • 河
    hé

    river (CL:條|条[tiáo],道[dào]) / (bound form) the Yellow River / (bound form) the Milky Way / (bound form) (on restaurant menus) rice noodles 河粉[hé fěn]

  • 清
    qīng

    (of water etc) clear / clean / quiet / still / pure / uncorrupted / clear / distinct / to clear / to settle (accounts)

    Qīng

    Qing (Wade-Giles: Ch'ing) dynasty of China (1644–1911) / surname Qing

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.