The landscape, the sky above it and what the ground is made of.
The landscape beyond mountain and river, and the sky above it. Many of these nouns are built from parts a learner already has: 山 gives 山顶, 山谷 and 山坡, and 海 gives 海边 and 海浪. Landscapes take their own measure words: a stretch of forest or grassland is 一片, a mountain 一座, a river or a stream 一条.
The words
View
Verb (1)
流to flowVerb3
这条河从西往东流。This river flows from west to east.
Noun (34)
大自然nature; the natural worldNoun3
我很喜欢大自然，一有空就去爬山。I love nature; whenever I have time I go walking in the hills.
森林forestNoun3
这片森林里住着很多动物。Many animals live in this forest.
Measure word: 片.
树林wood; groveNoun3
房子后面有一片小树林。There is a small wood behind the house.
Smaller than a 森林.
沙漠desertNoun3
沙漠里白天很热，可是晚上很冷。In the desert it is hot during the day but cold at night.
草原grassland; steppeNoun3
我们在草原上骑了一下午的马。We spent the whole afternoon riding horses on the grassland.
湖lakeNoun3
公园中间有一个湖，可以划船。There is a lake in the middle of the park where you can go boating.
岛islandNoun3
我们坐船去了一个小岛。We took a boat to a small island.
空气airNoun3
雨后的空气特别新鲜。The air is especially fresh after rain.
地球the EarthNoun3
我们只有一个地球。We only have one Earth.
太阳the sunNoun2
太阳从东边出来了。The sun has come up in the east.
Often said with a light second syllable, tàiyang.
月亮the moonNoun2
今天晚上的月亮又圆又亮。The moon tonight is full and bright.
星星starNoun3
城市里晚上很难看到星星。In the city it is hard to see the stars at night.
Measure word: 颗.
天空the skyNoun3
秋天的天空又高又蓝。The autumn sky is high and blue.
Descriptive; in everyday speech the sky is simply 天.
石头stone; rockNoun3
河边有很多圆圆的石头。There are lots of round stones by the river.
Measure word: 块.
沙子sandNoun3
孩子们在海边玩儿沙子。The children are playing in the sand by the sea.
土soil; earth; dustNoun3
这里的土很适合种花。The soil here is good for growing flowers.
瀑布waterfallNoun3
山里有一条很高的瀑布。There is a very high waterfall in the mountains.
山顶mountaintop; summitNoun3
爬了三个小时，我们终于到了山顶。After three hours of climbing we finally reached the top.
山谷valleyNoun3
山谷里很安静，只有鸟的叫声。The valley is quiet; there is only the sound of birds.
山坡hillside; slopeNoun3
春天山坡上开满了花。In spring the hillside is covered in flowers.
沙滩beachNoun3
早上的沙滩上还没有人。Early in the morning there is nobody on the beach yet.
海浪wave (of the sea)Noun3
今天海浪太大，不能下水游泳。The waves are too big today; you cannot go into the water.
池塘pondNoun3
池塘里有几条小鱼。There are a few small fish in the pond.
小溪stream; brookNoun3
一条小溪从村子旁边流过。A stream runs past the village.
岸bank; shoreNoun3
他游了很久才上岸。He swam for a long time before he came out onto the bank.
洞hole; caveNoun3
山上有一个很深的洞。There is a very deep cave up on the mountain.
火山volcanoNoun3
我从来没见过真的火山。I have never seen a real volcano.
Measure word: 座.
冰川glacierNoun3
山上的冰川一年比一年小。The glacier on the mountain gets smaller every year.
日出sunriseNoun3
为了看日出，我们四点就起床了。We got up at four to watch the sunrise.
日落sunsetNoun3
海边的日落特别美。The sunset by the sea is especially beautiful.
光lightNoun3
窗户太小，房间里没什么光。The window is too small, so there is hardly any light in the room.
影子shadowNoun3
中午的时候，人的影子最短。At midday a person’s shadow is at its shortest.
地面the ground; surfaceNoun3
下了一夜的雪，地面全白了。After a whole night of snow, the ground has turned completely white.
宇宙the universeNoun3
宇宙里有多少颗星星？How many stars are there in the universe?
Adjective (4)
自然natural; naturallyAdjective3
她说汉语说得很自然。She speaks Chinese very naturally.
For nature as a noun, people more often say 大自然.
野生wild; growing wildAdjective3
这些花都是野生的，不是谁种的。These flowers are all wild; nobody planted them.
天然natural; not made by peopleAdjective3
这个湖是天然的，不是人挖的。This lake is natural; it was not dug by people.
天然 means not man-made; 自然 also means unforced.
美丽beautifulAdjective3
这里的风景非常美丽。The scenery here is very beautiful.
More written than 漂亮; used above all of places and landscapes.
Place word (1)
海边seaside; coastPlace word3
暑假我们去海边住了一个星期。In the summer holidays we stayed by the sea for a week.
