灘 (tān) - Beach, shoal, rapids & a stretch of shallow, fast-flowing water in a

灘Tone 1

tān ｜ 22 strokes ｜ radical:

树檀

灘 · tān

Beach, shoal, rapids;

a stretch of shallow, fast-flowing water in a river;

also refers to sandy shorelines.

Beach, shoal, rapidsa stretch of shallow, fast-flowing water in aalso refers to sandy shorelines.

Usage highlights

BeachRiver rapidsShoalSeashoreMudflatGobi Desert

Synonyms

  • 滨— shore, bank
  • 岸— shore, bank
  • 渚— small island in river, islet

Antonyms

  • 渊— deep pool, abyss
  • 深— deep

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • We walked along the sandy beach (沙滩).
  • The river has dangerous rapids (急滩).
  • The ship ran aground on a shoal (浅滩).
  • This is a famous beach resort (海滩度假村).

Collocations

  • Beach(沙滩)
  • River rapids(河滩)
  • Shoal(浅滩)
  • Seashore(海滩)
  • Mudflat(泥滩)
  • Gobi Desert(戈壁滩)

Idioms

  • Brave the wind and the waves(闯滩涉浪)
  • Dark beach and treacherous shoals(暗滩险礁)
  • A dragon trapped in shallow water(龙困浅滩)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically associated with challenging river navigation, particularly in the Yangtze River's Three Gorges region.
  • In Chinese poetry, '滩' often symbolizes obstacles and hardships in life's journey.
  • Represents natural boundaries between land and water in traditional Chinese geography.

FAQ