shān山mountainqīng清clearshuǐ水waterxiù秀beautiful
Clear mountains, beautiful waters — a place of striking natural scenery.
Literal meaning
mountain (山) — clear (清) — water (水) — beautiful (秀)
Origin
A classical descriptive phrase that crystallised in landscape writing during the Tang and Song. Closely associated with the southern Chinese landscape — Guilin's karst peaks, the Lijiang River, the West Lake region in Hangzhou — but applicable to any place where mountain and water both register strongly.
Examples
Guì桂lín林shān山qīng清shuǐ水xiù秀，fēng风jǐng景rú如huà画。
Guilin has clear mountains and beautiful waters — like a painting.
Zhè这ge个xiǎo小zhèn镇shān山qīng清shuǐ水xiù秀，shì适hé合yǎng养lǎo老。
This little town has gorgeous scenery — a great place to retire.
Usage & nuances
Descriptive, often in tourism, real-estate, and travel-essay contexts. Standard travel-brochure idiom — but still works in real conversation about a beautiful place.
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