乡野 (xiāng yě) — countryside; rural area (literary)

Definition

Literary word for 'countryside / rural area', used mainly in writing. More formal and evocative than the everyday 农村.

noun
countrysiderural area (literary)

Examples

  • 乡野，。
    Tā xǐ huan zài xiāng yě lǐ sàn bù, xiǎng shòu níng jìng.
    He likes to take walks in the countryside and enjoy the peace.
  • 乡野。
    Zhè lǐ de xiāng yě fēng jǐng bǐ chéng shì gèng zì rán.
    The rural scenery here is more natural than the city.
  • 乡野。
    Xǔ duō huà jiā cóng xiāng yě zhōng huò dé le líng gǎn.
    Many painters draw inspiration from the countryside.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

乡xiāngcountryside
野yěwild country

乡 and 野 both refer to rural country, together meaning countryside.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鄉; 乡 is its simplified writing.

  • 𠨍𠨍𠨍two people facing each other
  • 皀皀jía round-mouthed food vessel

The traditional form 鄉 combines two people facing each other with a round-mouthed food vessel, depicting a feast. The village meaning is connected to this feasting event.

Open 乡 →

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
田田tiánfield
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
予
予yǔ野yě
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

野 combines 田 (field) above 土 (earth) to show open country, with 予 giving the sound.

Open 野 →

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