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无底洞 (wú dǐ dòng) — bottomless pit (literal or figurative); a black hole (for money, resources, etc.)

Definition

A figurative expression for a 'bottomless pit' — something (often expenses or a project) that consumes endlessly and can never be filled.

noun
bottomless pit (literal or figurative)a black hole (for money, resources, etc.)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 无底洞，。
    Zhè ge xiàng mù jiù shì gè wú dǐ dòng, tóu duō shǎo dōu bú gòu.
    This project is just a bottomless pit; no matter how much you invest, it's never enough.
  • 无底洞，。
    Jiā lǐ de kāi xiāo jiǎn zhí shì gè wú dǐ dòng, yǒng yuǎn tián bù mǎn.
    Household expenses are practically a bottomless pit; they can never be filled.
  • 无底洞，。
    Tā duì xīn shǒu jī de xū qiú jiù shì gè wú dǐ dòng, yǒng yuǎn xián bú gòu.
    His demand for new phones is like a bottomless pit; he always complains it's not enough.

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.

无底no bottom
无wúlack底dǐbottom
动宾Verb + object
洞dònghole

无底 means no bottom, and 洞 is a hole or pit.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 無; 无 is its simplified writing.

For the simplified 无, the story is about 無. 無 drew a person dancing with ox tails held in both hands to pray for rain, then was borrowed for 'have no', so the picture does not explain that meaning.

Open 无 →

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
广广guǎngbuilding
Sound part声符shēngfú
氐
氐dī底dǐ
Same sound today

底 pairs 广 (building) with 氐, pointing to the bottom or foundation of a building. Some read 氐 as a bowing figure or tree root, adding a sense of 'down'.

Open 底 →

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
同
同tóng洞dòng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

洞 combines 水 (water) with 同, which gives the sound tóng.

Open 洞 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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