TongTong
Sign in

荒凉 (huāng liáng) — desolate, bleak, wild (of a place)

Definition

Describes a place that is empty, abandoned, and lifeless — bleaker than 凄凉, which extends to feelings and atmosphere. Pairs with war, deserts, and ruined cities.

adjective
desolatebleakwild (of a place)

Examples

  • 荒凉，。
    Zhè piàn shā mò fēi cháng huāng liáng, jī hū méi yǒu rén yān.
    This desert is very desolate, with almost no sign of human life.
  • 荒凉。
    Tā dú zì zǒu zài huāng liáng de shān lù shang.
    He walked alone on the bleak mountain path.
  • ，荒凉。
    Zhàn zhēng guò hòu, zhěng gè chéng shì biàn de yí piàn huāng liáng.
    After the war, the whole city became a desolate scene.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

荒huāngdesolate
凉liángbleak

The desolation of 荒 and bleakness of 凉 merge into a sense of emptiness.

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
艹Written in full as艸cǎograss, plant
Sound part声符shēngfú
巟
巟huāng荒huāng
Same sound today

荒 is built from 艹 (grass, plant) and 巟, with 巟 giving the sound huāng.

Open 荒 →

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 涼; 凉 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
京
京jīng涼liáng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 涼 combines 氵 (water) with 京, which gives the sound; the simplified 凉 is a later abbreviation.

Open 凉 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Geography & Landforms

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.