山谷
shāngǔ · HSK 6
valley
⛰️ 山 mountain + 谷 valley — a valley carved between mountains
谷 alone means valley or grain. Paired with 山 mountain it locks in the geographical sense: a valley set among peaks.
山 — pictograph of three mountain peaks
山 is one of the oldest pictographs in Chinese, originally drawn in oracle bone script as three pointed peaks rising from a baseline. The form was simplified over time into the modern three vertical strokes on a base. Its meaning has stayed remarkably stable: 'mountain' or 'hill'.