牧场

• Pinyin: mù chǎng
• Hanzi breakdown: 牧 = 牛(cow) + 攴(to strike/guide, action) — to herd cattle; 场 = 土(earth) + 昜(rising sun/open, phonetic) — open grounds

Meaning

A pasture; a ranch or grazing land where livestock are raised.

Refers to large areas of open land used for grazing cattle, sheep, or horses. Common in Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, and Tibet. Evokes images of vast grasslands and traditional nomadic herding culture in Chinese literary and tourism discourse.

Examples

1. 内蒙古的天然牧场辽阔无边，成群的牛羊在碧绿的草地上自由漫步。 Inner Mongolia's natural pastures stretch as far as the eye can see, with herds of cattle and sheep roaming freely on the lush grassland.
2. 这家牧场采用生态放牧的方式，确保所产牛奶的品质远超普通工厂化养殖标准。 This ranch uses eco-friendly grazing practices, ensuring its milk quality far exceeds that of standard factory-style farming.
3. 每逢夏季，牧场主便会将牲畜赶往海拔较高的草甸，以充分利用丰盛的牧草资源。 Every summer, the rancher drives the livestock to higher-elevation meadows to make full use of abundant grass resources.

Usage Guide

Context: agriculture, animal husbandry, tourism, ecology

Tone: neutral/descriptive

Do Say

• 这片广阔的牧场不仅为当地牧民提供了赖以为生的生产基地，也成为吸引游客前来观光体验的重要生态景区。(This vast pasture not only provides local herders with a productive base for their livelihood, but has also become an important ecological scenic area attracting tourists.)
• 随着草场退化问题日益严峻，政府出台了一系列保护牧场生态环境的政策与补贴措施。(As grassland degradation becomes increasingly serious, the government has introduced a series of policies and subsidy measures to protect the ecological environment of pastures.)

Don't Say

• 把'牧场'用于指农田或普通农业用地 (牧场 specifically refers to land designated for grazing and livestock rearing — use 农田 or 耕地 for farmland used in crop cultivation)

Origin & History

牧(to herd/tend) + 场(open ground/field). 牧 depicts a hand (攴) guiding a cow (牛) — to herd; 场 means an open space or grounds.

Cultural Context

Era: Traditional

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal