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空无一人 (kōng wú yì rén) — (set phrase) deserted, completely empty of people

Definition

Idiom emphasizing a place with not a single person in it — stronger and more literary than just saying 没有人. Often used to set a deserted, quiet, or eerie scene.

idiom
(set phrase) desertedcompletely empty of people

Examples

  • 空无一人，。
    Zuó tiān shāng chǎng lǐ kōng wú yì rén, dà jiā dōu dāi zài jiā lǐ.
    Yesterday the mall was completely deserted; everyone stayed at home.
  • 空无一人，。
    Shēn yè de jiē dào kōng wú yì rén, xiǎn de gé wài jì jìng.
    The streets in the dead of night were empty of people, feeling especially quiet.
  • 空无一人，。
    Tā zǒu jìn nà jiān kōng wú yì rén de jiào shì, xīn lǐ yǒu diǎn hài pà.
    He walked into that utterly empty classroom and felt a bit scared.

Origin

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
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 →

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 →

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 →

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

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →
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Idioms & Set Phrases

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