日月潭
Rìyuè Tán
Sun Moon Lake is 日月潭 (Rìyuè Tán) in Mandarin.
日月潭 is the name of a large, famous lake located in Taiwan.
What does it mean word for word?
The name is composed of 日 (sun), 月 (moon) and 潭 (deep pool/lake).
How do you pronounce it?
Rìyuè Tán
Did you know?
- The name 日月潭 refers to the lake's shape, where the eastern side is round like the 日 'sun' and the western side is long and curved like a 月 'crescent moon'.
- In the context of local folklore, the name is also linked to the concept of 'Yin' and 'Yang'. The 'sun' represents the 'Yang' (masculine/light) and the 'moon' represents the 'Yin' (feminine/dark) balance of nature.
- The character '潭' (tán) is specifically used for deep, still bodies of water, whereas more common lakes often use '湖' (hú). Using '潭' implies a profound depth that is central to the lake's identity.
Examples in context
- 你去过日月潭吗？(Nǐ qù guò rì yuè tán ma?)Have you been to Sun Moon Lake?
- 明天我们要去日月潭旅游。(Míng tiān wǒ men yào qù rì yuè tán lǚ yóu.)Tomorrow, we're going to travel to Sun Moon Lake.
- 日月潭很美。Rìyuètán hěn měi.Sun Moon Lake is very beautiful.
- 我們明天去日月潭吧。Wǒmen míngtiān qù Rìyuètán ba.Let's go to Sun Moon Lake tomorrow.
- 我想住在日月潭附近。Wǒ xiǎng zhù zài Rìyuètán fùjìn.I want to stay near Sun Moon Lake.
Example conversation
Two friends are planning a trip to Taiwan.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我们去日月潭怎么样？Wǒmen qù Rìyuètán zěnmeyàng?How about we go to Sun Moon Lake?
- 俊杰 Junjie好主意，我一直想去那里。Hǎo zhǔyì, wǒ yīzhí xiǎng qù nàlǐ.Good idea, I have always wanted to go there.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen那我们现在订酒店吧。Nà wǒmen xiànzài dìng jiǔdiàn ba.Then let's book a hotel now.
- 俊杰 Junjie没问题，我来操作。Méi wèntí, wǒ lái cāozuò.No problem, I'll do it.
