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世外桃源 (shì wài táo yuán) — a haven of peace; a utopia (used for a place of ideal tranquility and isolation)

Definition

An idiom meaning 'a utopia / haven of peace,' from a fable about a hidden paradise cut off from the world. Used for any idealized, tranquil place far from life's troubles.

idiom
a haven of peacea utopia (used for a place of ideal tranquility and isolation)

Examples

  • 世外桃源，。
    Zhè ge shān gǔ jiù xiàng shì wài táo yuán yí yàng, yuǎn lí chéng shì de xuān xiāo.
    This valley is like a paradise, far from the city's noise.
  • 世外桃源。
    Měi gè rén dōu mèng xiǎng zhe zhǎo dào yí gè shǔ yú zì jǐ de shì wài táo yuán.
    Everyone dreams of finding their own haven of peace.
  • 世外桃源，。
    Zhè běn shū miáo huì le yí gè shì wài táo yuán bān de shè huì, lìng rén xiàng wǎng.
    This book describes a utopian society that people yearn for.

Origin

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 世 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
卜卜bǔ
Sound part声符shēngfú
月
月yuè外wài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

外 pairs 卜 with 月, a crescent moon; in its older form, the 卜 part had a horizontal bar extending outward, giving the sense of outside.

Open 外 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
兆
兆zhào桃táo(r)
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

桃 combines 木, meaning tree, with 兆, which gives the sound.

Open 桃 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
原
原yuán源yuán
Same sound today

源 combines 水 (water) and 原 (origin): 水 points to water, and 原 gives the sound.

Open 源 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set Phrases

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