洲 (zhōu) - Continent & island in a river

洲Tone 1

zhōu ｜ 9 strokes ｜ radical: 氵

志

洲 · zhōu

Continent;

island in a river;

sandbar;

refers to large landmasses or river islands.

Continentisland in a riversandbar

Usage highlights

AsiaEuropeAfricaAustraliaAntarcticacontinent

Synonyms

Antonyms

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • Asia is the largest continent (亚洲).
  • There is a small island in the middle of the river (河洲).
  • Australia is both a country and a continent (澳洲).
  • The Mississippi River has many sandbars (沙洲).

Collocations

  • Asia(亚洲)
  • Europe(欧洲)
  • Africa(非洲)
  • Australia(澳洲)
  • Antarctica(南极洲)
  • continent(洲)

Idioms

  • The Nine Provinces(九州)
  • Across the five continents(五洲四海)
  • Green continent(绿洲)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally referred to islands or sandbars in rivers, later extended to mean continents in geographical terms.
  • Used in classical Chinese poetry to describe scenic river landscapes with islands.
  • Appears in the name '九州' (Nine Provinces), a poetic term for China.

FAQ