乡下

• Pinyin: xiāng xia
• Hanzi breakdown: 乡 = simplified 鄉 (countryside); 下 = 一 + 卜 (below a line)

Meaning

Countryside; rural area; the village or non-urban areas beyond the city.

Refers informally to rural areas as opposed to cities. Can carry a neutral, nostalgic, or slightly pejorative tone depending on context. Interchangeable with 农村 in informal speech, though 农村 is more formal and official.

Examples

1. 他从小在乡下长大，对广阔的田园生活充满深深的留恋。 He grew up in the countryside and feels a deep nostalgia for life among the wide-open fields.
2. 每到暑假，孩子们都会被送去乡下的爷爷家住上一段时间。 Every summer vacation, the children are sent to stay at their grandfather’s place in the countryside for a while.
3. 近年来，越来越多的城市居民选择到乡下定居，寻求宁静的慢生活。 In recent years, more and more city residents have chosen to move to the countryside in search of a quiet, slower-paced life.

Usage Guide

Context: rural life, travel, family, nostalgia

Tone: neutral/nostalgic

Do Say

• 我小时候在乡下生活，每天可以在田野里无忧无虑地奔跑玩耍。(When I was young I lived in the countryside and could run and play carefree through the fields every day.)
• 她丈夫的老家在乡下，每年春节都要回去和亲戚们一同过节。(Her husband's hometown is in the countryside — every Spring Festival they return to celebrate with relatives.)

Don't Say

• 乡下的城市 — 乡下 and 城市 are opposites; use 郊区 for the outskirts of a city or 小城镇 for a small town

Origin & History

乡 (countryside/village) + 下 (below/down) — 'down in the country', away from urban heights

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal