TongTong
Sign in

废墟 (fèi xū) — ruins

Definition

废墟 refers to the remains of buildings destroyed by disaster or war — it carries a strong sense of collapse and loss. Unlike 遗址, it is not a preserved heritage site.

noun
ruins
Measure word · 片

Examples

  • ，废墟。
    Dì zhèn hòu, zhè zuò chéng shì biàn chéng le yí piàn fèi xū.
    After the earthquake, this city turned into a stretch of ruins.
  • 废墟。
    Kǎo gǔ rén yuán zài fèi xū zhōng fā xiàn le xǔ duō gǔ dài de dōng xī.
    Archaeological workers found many ancient objects in the ruins.
  • 废墟。
    Zhàn hòu de fèi xū ràng rén gǎn dào bēi shāng.
    The ruins after the war make people feel sad.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

废fèiruined
墟xūdeserted place

废 “ruined” and 墟 “deserted place” combine to mean ruins.

Characters in this word

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 廢; 废 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
广广guǎnghouse
Sound part声符shēngfú
發
發fā廢fèi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 廢 shows 广 as a house and 發 as the sound.

Open 废 →

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tǔdirt
Sound part声符shēngfú
虛
虛xū墟xū
Same sound today

墟 pairs 土 (dirt) with 虛, which gives its sound.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Buildings & Structures

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.