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瓦砾 (wǎ lì) — rubble; debris; (figurative) worthless things

Definition

Pinyin wǎlì. Refers specifically to broken tiles, bricks, and stones left after destruction (earthquakes, bombings, demolition). Figuratively, anything seen as worthless or ruined.

noun
rubbledebris(figurative) worthless things

Examples

  • ，瓦砾。
    Dì zhèn hòu, chéng shì biàn chéng le yí piàn wǎ lì.
    After the earthquake, the city turned into a field of rubble.
  • 瓦砾。
    Tā cóng wǎ lì zhōng zhǎo chū le jǐ jiàn yǒu yòng de dōng xī.
    He found a few useful items from the debris.
  • 瓦砾，。
    Zhè xiē jiù shū duì tā lái shuō jiù shì wǎ lì, háo wú jià zhí.
    These old books are worthless rubble to him, completely without value.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

瓦wǎtile
砾lìgravel

瓦 means tile and 砾 means gravel, so the word names broken building material.

Characters in this word

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

瓦’s shape is a picture of fired earthenware pottery or a tile.

Open 瓦 →

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 礫; 砾 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
石石shístone
Sound part声符shēngfú
樂
樂lè礫lì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 礫 pairs 石 (stone) with 樂 as a sound part; the simplified 砾 is a later shorthand.

Appears in
Materials & Substances

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