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异乡 (yì xiāng) — a place away from one's hometown; a foreign land (often with a sense of being a stranger)

Definition

异乡 (yìxiāng) means a place far from one's hometown — a foreign land or unfamiliar place, often with a lonely, unfamiliar feel. It emphasizes the experience of being a stranger elsewhere, more emotional than the neutral 外地.

noun
a place away from one's hometowna foreign land (often with a sense of being a stranger)

Examples

  • 异乡。
    Tā yí gè rén zài yì xiāng dǎ pīn le shí nián.
    He has been striving alone in a foreign land for ten years.
  • 异乡，。
    Shēn zài yì xiāng, měi féng jiā jié bèi sī qīn.
    Far away from home, I miss my family even more during festivals.
  • 异乡。
    Tā zhōng yú jié shù le zài yì xiāng de piāo bó shēng huó.
    She finally ended her wandering life in a foreign land.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

异yìdifferent
乡xiānghometown

异 gives different or foreign, while 乡 denotes a land or hometown.

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 異; 异 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 異 depicts a person with a mask 田 over the face, so the face looks different. The simplified 异 is a later shorthand.

Open 异 →

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 →
Appears in
Travel & Tourism

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