桃源 (táo yuán) — utopia, idyllic paradise

Definition

Literary/cultural word for an ideal, peaceful paradise — from Tao Yuanming's 'Peach Blossom Spring' (桃花源记). Use in writing or poetic contexts; in everyday speech just say 世外桃源 or an ideal place.

noun
utopiaidyllic paradise
Easily confused

Examples

  • ，桃源。
    Zhè lǐ fēng jǐng rú huà, jiǎn zhí shì rén jiān táo yuán.
    The scenery here is picturesque — it's truly a paradise on earth.
  • 桃源，。
    Tā mèng xiǎng zhǎo dào yí gè táo yuán, yuǎn lí chéng shì de xuān xiāo.
    He dreams of finding a utopia, far from the noise of the city.
  • 渊桃源，。
    Táo yuān míng bǐ xià de táo yuán, zhì jīn réng shì rén men xiàng wǎng de lǐ xiǎng shì jiè.
    The utopia described by Tao Yuanming is still an ideal world that people yearn for today.

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.

桃táopeach
源yuánsource

桃 peach and 源 source recall the legendary peach spring, giving the sense of an idyllic paradise.

Characters in this word

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 →

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