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干旱 (gān hàn) — (of climate, land) arid, dry; (of weather) drought-stricken

Definition

Used for climate, regions, or seasons that lack rain — stronger than 干燥 ('dry' in general, e.g. skin, air) and broader than 干枯 ('withered' plants). Pairs with 旱灾 to describe the resulting disaster.

adjective
(of climate, land) ariddry(of weather) drought-stricken

Examples

  • 干旱，。
    Zhè lǐ qì hòu gān hàn, hěn shǎo xià yǔ.
    The climate here is arid and rarely rains.
  • 干旱。
    gān hàn De tǔ dì xū yào rén gōng guàn gài.
    The arid land needs artificial irrigation.
  • 干旱，。
    Jīn nián chūn tiān tè bié gān hàn, zhuāng jia dōu cháng bù hǎo.
    This spring is especially dry, and the crops are not growing well.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

干gāndry
旱hàndrought

干 means dry and 旱 means drought-like dryness, together describing land or weather without moisture.

Characters in this word

The simplified 干 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (饼干, 干杯) it is 乾; in others (干, 干活儿) (干扰) it is 幹 or 干.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 乾; 干 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
乙乙yǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
倝
倝gàn乾gān
Same sound today
Open 干 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 旱 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 6Climate & SeasonsWeather

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