Chu Kiang

8.4

A large river in southeast China that flows into the South China Sea, also called the Pearl River

proper noun

: Río de las Perlas

The Chu Kiang delta is one of the most densely urbanized regions in the world.

Examples

The Chu Kiang is crucial for the region's agriculture and trade.
Many shipping routes follow the Chu Kiang through southern China.
The Chu Kiang is known for its beautiful scenery.
Have you ever visited the Chu Kiang?
Many shipping routes follow the Chu Kiang through southern China.
The Chu Kiang delta is one of the most densely urbanized regions in the world.
The Chu Kiang is crucial for the region's agriculture and trade.

Synonyms

Pearl River

vsChu Kiang

1 3.9

A river in southeastern China that flows through Guangzhou and into the South China Sea

is the same river but described more generally without city detail

Canton River

vsChu Kiang

Archaic

1 5.8

A large river in southeast China called the Pearl River that flows into the South China Sea

is the same river but expressed under a different name

Zhu Jiang

vsChu Kiang

8.3

A large river in southeastern China called the Pearl River that flows into the South China Sea

is the same river but referred to with an alternate name

Surface Forms

Chu Kiang main

Morphology

Chu + Kiang

Both constituents are not English lexical items here (dictionary entries are missing) and the phrase is a proper name for a specific river; its meaning ('Pearl River') is not compositionally derivable from 'Chu' + 'Kiang' for an average B1 learner. Even if 'Kiang' reflects an older romanization of a Chinese word for 'river', that knowledge is language-specific and not predictable from the provided constituents, so the expression is opaque.

Etymology

Chu Kiang may come from an old name that means the 'Pearl River'. One popular story says people found pearls and shiny little islands along the water, so the river looked like a string of pearls, which is why the name refers to the river that flows into the South China Sea.