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不毛之地 (bù máo zhī dì) — barren land; wasteland; desert; (figurative) uncivilized or culturally barren place

Definition

Literary set phrase meaning 'barren land / wasteland', literally 'a place where not even grass (毛) grows.' Use it for both physical wastelands and, metaphorically, culturally or intellectually sterile environments.

noun
barren landwastelanddesert(figurative) uncivilized or culturally barren place
Measure word · 块

Examples

  • 不毛之地。
    Zhè piàn bù máo zhī dì céng jīng shì shā mò.
    This barren land was once a desert.
  • 不毛之地，。
    Nà lǐ shì bù máo zhī dì, shén me yě bù cháng.
    That place is barren land; nothing grows.
  • ，不毛之地。
    Zhè ge dì qū de wén huà fēn wéi hěn chà, jiǎn zhí shì yí piàn bù máo zhī dì.
    The cultural atmosphere in this area is very poor; it's simply a cultural wasteland.

Origin

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

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A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

毛 is drawn as a feather or hair, with its strokes tracing the shape of the feather or hair.

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Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape pairs 止, a foot, with 一, a beginning place, and means to go.

Open 之 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
也
也yě地dì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

地 is built from 土 (earth) and 也, which gives its sound.

Open 地 →
Appears in
Geography & LandformsIdioms & Set Phrases

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