乡

鄉

xiāng

HSK 3.0Level 5

Definitions

xiāng (noun) countryside; rural area

xiāng (noun) hometown; native place

xiāng (noun) township

Etymology

Simplified form of 鄉. Pictograph of two people facing each other, kneeling down to share a meal. Based on the original meaning "feast" or "offer food", now written as 饗. The meaning later shifted to "hometown". The right two components were removed for simplification.

About

The traditional character 鄉 originated as a pictograph of two people kneeling face to face, sharing a meal, evoking communal feasting (now written 饗) and the bonds of those living together. Over time, the meaning shifted to "hometown" and "countryside". The simplified character 乡 was formed by removing the right two components of 鄉, retaining only the left side. Today, 乡 denotes a rural area or native village, often an administrative division smaller than a town, and carries strong connotations of local community, shared origins, and the rural landscape in contrast to urban centers.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我的家乡在农村。

Wǒ de jiāxiāng zài nóngcūn.

My hometown is in the countryside.

乡村的空气很新鲜。

Xiāngcūn de kōngqì hěn xīnxiān.

The air in the countryside is very fresh.

我喜欢回乡下去。

Wǒ xǐhuān huí xiāngxià qù.

I like to go back to the countryside.

故乡的风景让我怀念。

Gùxiāng de fēngjǐng ràng wǒ huáiniàn.

The scenery of my hometown makes me nostalgic.

每年春节我们都回乡。

Měi nián chūnjié wǒmen dōu huí xiāng.

Every Spring Festival, we return to our hometown.

乡村生活比城市生活宁静。

Xiāngcūn shēnghuó bǐ chéngshì shēnghuó níngjìng.

Countryside life is more peaceful than city life.

虽然我住在城市，但心系故乡。

Suīrán wǒ zhù zài chéngshì, dàn xīn xì gùxiāng.

Although I live in the city, my heart is tied to my hometown.

对于海外游子，思乡之情难以言表。

Duìyú hǎiwài yóuzǐ, sīxiāng zhī qíng nányǐ yánbiǎo.

For overseas wanderers, the feeling of homesickness is hard to express.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 乡

Example Words