平原 píngyuán field
field; plain
How to remember 平原: 平 level + 原 original = field.
Characters
How it is used
- A geographic plain - flat open land - 华北平原 (Huáběi píngyuán) the North China Plain.
- Contrast with 高原 (gāoyuán, plateau) and 盆地 (péndì, basin); these are the standard landform terms in geography lessons.
- Concrete, physical noun only - not the 'plain/ordinary' sense of English 'plain'.