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洗劫一空 (xǐ jié yì kōng) — to be completely looted, robbed of everything

Definition

An emphatic chengyu meaning to loot something so completely that nothing is left. Pairs with the 把 construction to show what was stripped clean (e.g. 把村子洗劫一空).

idiom
to be completely lootedrobbed of everything

Examples

  • 洗劫一空。
    Qiáng dào bǎ zhěng gè cūn zi xǐ jié yì kōng le.
    The bandits looted the entire village clean.
  • 洗劫一空。
    Xiǎo tōu bǎ jiā lǐ zhí qián de dōng xī xǐ jié yì kōng.
    The thief stole all the valuables from the house.
  • 洗劫一空，。
    Zhè jiā shāng diàn bèi gù kè xǐ jié yì kōng, huò jià quán kōng le.
    This store was cleared out by customers; all the shelves are empty.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

洗劫loot
洗xǐwash out劫jiérob
联合Coordinate
一空completely empty
一yīall空kōngempty
偏正Modifier + head

洗劫 is to loot, and 一空 says it is left completely empty.

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
先
先xiān洗xǐ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

洗 is built from 水 (water) and 先, which gives the character its sound.

Open 洗 →

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
力力lìpower, force
Sound part声符shēngfú
去
去qù劫jié
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

劫 pairs 去, which gives the sound, with 力, meaning power or force.

Open 劫 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

一 is drawn as one horizontal stroke, marking the number one.

Open 一 →

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
穴穴xuécave, hole
Sound part声符shēngfú
工
工gōng空kōng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

空 is built from 穴, a cave or hole, and 工, which gives the sound.

Open 空 →
Appears in
Crime & PoliceIdioms & Set Phrases

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