山歌是指人们在田野劳动或抒发情感时即兴演唱的歌曲。它的内容广泛，结构短小，曲调爽朗、情感质朴、高亢、节奏自由。

Folk songs refer to songs that people sing impromptu when they work in the field or express their feelings. It has a wide range of contents, short structure, bright melody, simple emotion, high pitched and free rhythm.

山歌，主要集中分布在高原、内地、山乡、渔村及少数民族地区，盛行于福建、广东、广西、湖南、贵州、云南等少数民族地区。流传极广，蕴藏极丰富。山歌是中国民歌的基本体裁之一。泛指流传于高原、山区、丘陵地区，人们在行路、砍柴、放牧、割草或民间歌会上为了自娱自乐而唱的节奏自由、旋律悠长的民歌。

Folk songs are mainly distributed on the plateau, the mainland, mountain villages, fishing villages and ethnic minority areas, and are popular in ethnic minority areas such as Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan. It is widely spread and rich in reserves. Folk songs are one of the basic genres of Chinese folk songs. It generally refers to folk songs with free rhythm and long melody that are popular in plateau, mountainous and hilly areas. People sing for self entertainment on roads, cutting firewood, grazing, mowing grass or folk song parties.