地球
dìqiú
地球 (dìqiú) is the Chinese word for the English phrase earth.
地球 refers specifically to the third planet of the Solar System.
Meaning: third planet of the Solar System (name)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 地球 is composed of 地 (dì), meaning ground or floor and 球 (qiú), meaning sphere or ball.
Which one should you use?
Use 地球 (dìqiú) specifically for the astronomical planet, whereas 泥土 (nítǔ) refers to soil or dirt.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
dìqiú
Did you know?
- The term 地球 was coined by the Italian Jesuit priest Matteo Ricci in the late 16th century. He created the word to describe the planet in his world map.
- While 地球 is the modern standard, ancient Chinese cosmology often referred to the world as 天下, which means 'all under heaven'.
- The character 球 in 地球 is used for any kind of ball, from a globe to a basketball. This gives the name of the planet a very literal, geometric quality.
Examples in context
- 地球出現了。Earth appeared.This example shows the use of 地球 to indicate the appearance of the planet.Tatoeba #13153701 by LeviHighway, translation #10218164 by megamanenm
- 今天是地球日。Today is Earth day.This example uses 地球 in the context of Earth Day.Tatoeba #6031937 by verdastelo9604, translation #6031798 by Hybrid
- 地球上有七大洲。There are seven continents on the earth.This example uses 地球 to describe the continents located on the planet.Tatoeba #2109213 by sadhen, translation #271117 by CM
- 62 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A man and a woman are looking at a star chart.
- 雨婷 Yuting這顆行星是地球。Zhè kē xíngxīng shì dìqiú.This planet is Earth.
- 志强 Zhiqiang地球看起來很藍。Dìqiú kàn qǐlái hěn lán.Earth looks very blue.
- 雨婷 Yuting我們住在地球上。Wǒmen zhù zài dìqiú shàng.We live on Earth.
- 志强 Zhiqiang地球真的很美麗。Dìqiú zhēn de hěn měilì.Earth is truly beautiful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “earth” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 地球, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
