noun
scenic beauty; beautiful natural scenery
A yojijukugo describing mountains and rivers as beautiful and clear; often used in literary or poetic contexts to praise natural landscapes.
この地域は山紫水明の地として知られている。
This area is known as a place of scenic beauty.
Both describe beautiful natural scenery, but 風光明媚 is more common and general, while 山紫水明 specifically evokes mountains and rivers with a classical, poetic tone.
A yojijukugo composed of 山 (mountain), 紫 (purple, here suggesting lushness), 水 (water), and 明 (clear, bright). The exact origin is uncertain, but it is a classical Chinese-derived phrase used to describe idyllic natural scenery.