谿

A mountain water feature. The term encompasses both the geological formation (valley, gorge, ravine) and the water flowing within it (mountain stream, creek).

• Topography: Specifically implies a mountainous setting, suggesting enclosure, remoteness, and verticality (steepness or narrowing), in contrast to more general terms for waterways such as 川 (chuān).
• Scale: Generally situated between the broadness of 川 (chuān) and the smaller mountain rills denoted by 澗 (jiàn).
• Connotation: Frequently associated with rugged, inaccessible terrain, often appearing in contexts of seclusion or withdrawal.

The form 溪 is a common semantic variant; there is no meaningful distinction in meaning between 谿 and 溪.

Context is required to determine whether the glyph refers to the container (the valley/gorge) or the contained (the stream).