📖 Meaning
巴 (Bā) and 蜀 (Shǔ) are ancient state names for what is now Sichuan Province. The idiom refers to the mountains and rivers of the Sichuan region. It is used to evoke the region's distinctive and often picturesque natural scenery.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase comes from a modern literary work, the prose piece 《晚祷》 ("Evening Prayer") by the Chinese writer 萧白 (Xiao Bai). In the passage, the narrator reflects under the full moon on how a single chance moonlit conversation can become a lifelong memory. Amid this surge of nostalgia, the scenery of the Sichuan region draws near, followed by the Dongting and Xiang rivers and the Yangtze and Zhongshan. The line reads: "于是巴山蜀水近来，洞庭湘河近来，扬子江钟山也近来……" The idiom has since become a set expression for the landscape of the Sichuan area.
💡 Example Usage
巴山蜀水之间，留下了他少年时代的足迹。
Amid the mountains and rivers of Sichuan lie the footprints of his youth.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 巴山蜀水
- Pinyin: bā shān shǔ shuǐ
- Literal Translation: Ba mountain, Shu water
- Category: Distance
- Characters: 4