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简陋 (jiǎn lòu) — simple and crude, basic and shabby

Definition

Describes physical things — rooms, buildings, facilities — that are bare and poorly equipped, more about conditions than quality of work. Compare 粗糙 (rough texture/workmanship) and 拙劣 (clumsy, botched performance).

adjective
simple and crudebasic and shabby

Examples

  • 简陋。
    Zhè zuò fáng zi de shè shī shí fēn jiǎn lòu.
    The facilities in this house are very simple and crude.
  • 简陋，。
    Suī rán jiào shì jiǎn lòu, dàn xué shēng men de rè qíng hěn gāo.
    Although the classroom is simple and crude, the students' enthusiasm is high.
  • 简陋。
    Nà ge xiǎo lǚ guǎn de tiáo jiàn shí zài tài jiǎn lòu le.
    The conditions in that small hotel are really too simple and crude.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

简jiǎnsimple
陋lòucrude

简 (simple) and 陋 (crude) together mean plain and rough.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 簡; 简 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
竹竹zhú
Sound part声符shēngfú
間
閒xián簡jiǎn
Same sound today

In the traditional form 簡, 竹 (bamboo) is paired with 間 (also written 閒) as a sound part; the simplified 简 is a later shorthand.

Open 简 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Home & HousingGood & Bad

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