Definition

1. Noun (Literary/Classical):
   • Mountains and rivers: The literal and original meaning, referring to the natural landscape of a country.
   • Land, country, fatherland: A classical and poetic metonymy where "mountains and rivers" symbolically represent the entire nation or homeland. This usage carries a formal, literary, and often patriotic tone.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Non sông gấm vóc, sơn hà hùng vĩ. (A brocade-like land, a majestic country.)
  • Bảo vệ sơn hà là trách nhiệm của mỗi người dân. (To defend the fatherland is the responsibility of every citizen.)
  • Họa đồ sơn hà được vẽ rất chi tiết. (The map of mountains and rivers was drawn in great detail.)

Advanced Usage

• "sơn hà xã tắc": A classical four-character idiom meaning "the mountains, rivers, altars of soil and grain," used to poetically signify the state, the nation, and its enduring foundations.
  • Lo cho sơn hà xã tắc là việc của bậc quân vương. (To care for the realm and state is the duty of the sovereign.)

Variants and Related Words

• Giang sơn (n): A nearly identical synonym, also meaning "rivers and mountains" and, by extension, "country." It is slightly more common in classical and modern poetic contexts.
  • Giang sơn cẩm tú. (The beautiful, brocade-like country.)
• Đất nước (n): The standard modern word for "country" or "homeland," without the classical literary tone of .
• Tổ quốc (n): "Fatherland," a formal and patriotic term for one's native country.

Synonyms

• Country: A nation with its own government and land.
• Fatherland: One's native country, often with emotional or patriotic connotations.
• Homeland: The country where one was born or feels they belong.
• Realm: A kingdom or domain (used in the idiom ).

Related Idioms

• Sơn hà cẩm tú: Literally "brocade-like mountains and rivers," meaning a beautiful, rich, and splendid country.
  • Việt Nam là một đất nước sơn hà cẩm tú. (Vietnam is a splendid and beautiful country.)

1. Mountain and river.
2. (từ cũ) Land, country
   • Bảo vệ sơn hà
     To defend one's country