barren mountains and turbulent rivers; poor natural conditions
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
barren hills and turbulent waters; inhospitable natural environment
literaryA four-character idiom (chengyu) describing areas with rugged terrain, harsh climate, and poor agricultural potential. Often used to describe remote, underdeveloped rural areas. Can carry a negative or pitiful connotation.
Bǎ把
qióng穷
shān山
è恶
shuǐ水
gǎi改
zào造
chéng成
le了
mǐ米
liáng粮
chuān川
。
They transformed the barren mountains and turbulent waters into fertile farmland.
Zhè这
lǐ里
guò过
qù去
shì是
qióng穷
shān山
è恶
shuǐ水
，
xiàn现
zài在
biàn变
chéng成
le了
lǚ旅
yóu游
shèng胜
dì地
。
This place used to be a land of barren hills and hostile waters, but now it has become a tourist destination.
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Wǒ我
men们
bù不
néng能
xián嫌
qì弃
jiā家
xiāng乡
de的
qióng穷
shān山
è恶
shuǐ水
，
ér而
yīng应
gāi该
nǔ努
lì力
jiàn建
shè设
tā它
。
We should not despise our hometown's barren landscape, but rather strive to develop it.