Hanzi Now
CharactersIdiomsChinese NameFlashcards
Tools

Visual content

  • Chinese Text Image GeneratorCreate PNGs with pinyin, highlight character parts or remove strokes
  • Stroke Order AnimatorTurn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
  • Character Highlight AnimatorChoose character parts and animate their colors, together or in stroke order
  • Chinese Text Morph AnimatorTurn one Chinese character, word or phrase into another; download SVG, MP4 or WebM

Audio content

  • Chinese Text to SpeechRead Chinese aloud with karaoke highlighting

Teaching materials

  • Writing WorksheetsPrintable tracing sheets with a QR learning companion
  • Bingo CardsPicture and word Bingo for your class
  • Picture WorksheetsChinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets

Other

  • Pinyin GeneratorConvert Chinese text to pinyin with tone marks
  • Chinese Zodiac CalculatorFind your animal sign from your birth date and make a zodiac card.
  • Chinese Word CounterCount characters, words and sentences in Chinese text
View all tools →
江山好改,本性难移
江山好改,本性难移
江山好改,本性难移
江山好改,本性难移
江山好改,本性难移
江山好改,本性难移
江山好改,本性难移
江山好改,本性难移

江山好改,本性难移 — “Rivers and mountains are easy to change, but one's true nature is hard to shift”

江山好改,本性难移 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “it is easy to change rivers and mountains, but difficult to alter one's ingrained nature or character; old habits die hard”. Literally, “Rivers and mountains are easy to change, but one's true nature is hard to shift”.

Frequency

江山好改,本性难移 Pronunciation and Pinyin

江山好改,本性难移 Character Breakdown

CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
江
jiāng6large river, Yangtze River
山
shān3mountain or hill
好
hǎo6good, well, okay, very
改
gǎi7change or alter
,,—
本
běn5root, origin, fundamental, main
性
xìng8nature, quality, or sex
难
nán10difficult, troublesome, or bad
移
yí11move, shift, or transfer

Example Sentence with 江山好改,本性难移

他虽然嘴上答应改掉懒惰的毛病,但过不了几天又故态复萌,真是江山好改,本性难移啊。
Although he promised to give up his lazy habits, he reverted to his old ways after a few days. Truly, it's easy to change rivers and mountains, but difficult to alter one's fundamental nature.

Idioms Related to 江山好改,本性难移

Synonyms of 江山好改,本性难移

  • jiāng江shān山hǎo好gǎi改,,bǐng秉xìng性nán难yí移Old habits die hard

More idioms starting with 江

  • jiāng江dōng东fù父lǎo老Elders or people of one's hometown
  • jiāng江dōng东dú独bù步Unrivaled in the Jiangdong region
  • jiāng江yún云wèi渭shù树deep feelings of parting and longing
  • jiāng江nán南hǎi海běi北far and wide
  • jiāng江tiān天yī一sè色river and sky merge into one color
  • jiāng江shān山bù不lǎo老May your life be as eternal as mountains and rivers
  • jiāng江shān山zhī之yì异drastic transformation of a landscape or territory
  • jiāng江shān山zhī之hèn恨Sorrow over lost homeland
  • jiāng江shān山bàn半bì壁a significant portion of a territory
  • jiāng江shān山kě可gǎi改,,běn本xìng性nán难yí移Nature is hard to change
  • jiāng江shān山rú如gù故The landscape remains, but people and circumstances change

Recommended tools

Writing Worksheets

Printable tracing sheets with a QR learning companion

Open the tool →

Chinese Text Image Generator

Create PNGs with pinyin, highlight character parts or remove strokes

Open the tool →

Picture Worksheets

Chinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets

Open the tool →

Character Highlight Animator

Choose character parts and animate their colors, together or in stroke order

Open the tool →

Questions about 江山好改,本性难移

What does 江山好改,本性难移 mean?

江山好改,本性难移 (jiāng shān hǎo gǎi , běn xìng nán yí) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “it is easy to change rivers and mountains, but difficult to alter one's ingrained nature or character; old habits die hard”.

How do you pronounce 江山好改,本性难移?

江山好改,本性难移 is pronounced jiāng shān hǎo gǎi , běn xìng nán yí in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 江山好改,本性难移 literally mean?

Literally, 江山好改,本性难移 means “Rivers and mountains are easy to change, but one's true nature is hard to shift”. It is used to mean “it is easy to change rivers and mountains, but difficult to alter one's ingrained nature or character; old habits die hard”.

What is the Chinese definition of 江山好改,本性难移?

形容人的本性难以改变。同“江山易改,本性难移”。

Hanzi Now

Explore the charm of Chinese language

Explore

  • Characters
  • Idioms
  • Chinese Names
  • Flashcards

Tools

  • Chinese Text Image Generator
  • Stroke Order Animator
  • Character Highlight Animator
  • Bingo Cards
  • Picture Worksheets
  • All Tools

More

  • Blog
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
© 2026 Hanzi NowContact Us