鱼米之乡
yú mǐ zhī xiāng
a land of fish and rice; a fertile, well-watered region
Character by character
鱼yú
fish
fish
米mǐ
rice
rice
之zhī
of
of
乡xiāng
land
land
Example
江汉平原河湖众多，土地肥沃，自古就是有名的鱼米之乡。
The Jianghan Plain is full of rivers and lakes and its soil is rich; it has been a famous land of fish and rice since ancient times.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
Said of Jiangnan, the plains along the middle and lower Yangtze, and the country round Dongting and Poyang lakes. Lesson 1-5 met it as the home of Jiangsu and Zhejiang cooking. It praises a place’s plenty: 江南水乡，鱼米之乡.
Learn this in Lesson 167 · HSK 7–9: 长江十年禁渔 (Ten years without fishing on the Yangtze)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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