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山
shān
mountain
我们爬上了这座山。
We climbed to the top of this mountain.
formal
A large natural elevation of the earth's surface rising abruptly from the surrounding level; a large steep hill.
泰山是中国五岳之首。
Mount Tai is the foremost of China's Five Great Mountains.
In Chinese, 山 can also metaphorically refer to a large number of similar things (e.g., 一山的书 'a mountain of books').
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Remembering the Character
The character 山 resembles three mountain peaks. Imagine climbing up and down the three peaks to visualize the character.
Gold Rule
Usage in Place Names
When 山 appears in a place name (e.g., 泰山), it is typically pronounced 'shān' and means 'mountain'. However, in some contexts like 山东 (Shāndōng), it refers to a province named after Mount Tai.
Word Origin
The character 山 (shān) depicts three mountain peaks in oracle bone script (甲骨文), representing the concept of a mountain. It has been consistently used to mean 'mountain' since ancient times.
Usage Notes
山 is a common noun in Chinese and is often used in place names (e.g., 富士山 'Mount Fuji'). It can also appear in compound words like 山水 'landscape painting' or 山水画 'scenery'.
Word Breakdown
山
mountain
root汉英词典