乡 xiāng country
country; village; rural; native place
How it came to be
Two people kneeling face to face over a bowl of food: neighbours sharing a meal, the life of a village. Simplifying wore the picture down to three strokes.
用法
- 'Countryside, rural; native place'. 乡下 (xiāngxia) = the countryside (opposite of 城里 chéngli in the city); 乡村 (xiāngcūn) = rural/village - 住在城里 (zhù zài chéngli) live in the city.
- 家乡 (jiāxiāng) = one's hometown, 故乡 (gùxiāng) = homeland/native place (more literary and nostalgic).
- 老乡 (lǎoxiāng) = a fellow townsperson, someone from your home region.