成灾 (chéng zāi) — to become a disaster; to cause a disaster; to be disastrous

Definition

Verbal phrase meaning a situation has crossed into disaster territory — 'has become a disaster' or 'is becoming disastrous'. Used for things (floods, pests, garbage) reaching a harmful scale, not a single calamitous event.

verb
to become a disasterto cause a disasterto be disastrous

Examples

  • ，成灾。
    Bào yǔ lián xù jǐ tiān, zhè ge dì qū jiù huì chéng zāi.
    If heavy rain continues for several days, this area will become a disaster.
  • ，。
    Rú guǒ guǎn lǐ bú dàng, zhè ge wèn tí yǐ jīng chéng le zāi.
    If management is improper, this problem has already become a disaster.
  • ，成灾。
    Lā jī duī jī rú shān, kuài yào chéng zāi le.
    The garbage is piling up like a mountain and is about to become a disaster.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

成chéngbecome
灾zāidisaster

成 expresses becoming and 灾 expresses disaster, together meaning to become disastrous.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
戊戊wù
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng成chéng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

成 puts 戊, a weapon, beside 丁, which gives the sound. The weapon part relates to protection, as in the old sense of city walls.

Open 成 →

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 災; 灾 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
火火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
𡿧
𡿧𡿧災zāi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 災 combines 火 (fire) with 𡿧, an old picture of flowing water that supplied the sound; the simplified 灾 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 灾 →

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