扫盲 (sǎo máng) — to eliminate illiteracy; to carry out literacy education (for adults)

Definition

A verb-object phrase: 扫 ('sweep/clear away') + 盲 ('illiteracy'), meaning 'to eliminate illiteracy' — typically through adult literacy campaigns. Not a general term for teaching or education; specifically refers to eradicating illiteracy.

verb
to eliminate illiteracyto carry out literacy education (for adults)

Examples

  • 扫盲。
    Zhèng fǔ zài nóng cūn dà lì tuī guǎng sǎo máng.
    The government is vigorously promoting literacy education in rural areas.
  • 扫盲。
    Tā cān jiā guò liǎng cì sǎo máng huó dòng.
    He has participated in literacy campaigns twice.
  • 。
    Zhè ge cūn zi qù nián sǎo le yí cì máng.
    This village carried out a literacy campaign last year.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

扫sǎosweep
盲mángblindness

扫 means sweep and 盲 means blindness, so the word pictures sweeping away illiteracy.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 掃; 扫 is its simplified writing.

The form 掃 draws a hand with a broomstick, the thing used for sweeping.

Open 扫 →

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
目目mùeye
Sound part声符shēngfú
亡
亡wáng盲máng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

盲 is made from 目, meaning “eye”, plus 亡, which gives the sound. The eye part relates to the meaning of blindness.

Open 盲 →

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