萎缩 (wěi suō) — to wither, to dry up (of plants); to atrophy, t… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

萎缩 covers both plant withering (like 枯萎, 凋谢) and figure-of-speech atrophy of muscles, industries, or customs. Unlike 退化, it emphasizes physical shrinking or loss of scale rather than decline in quality.

verb

to witherto dry up (of plants)to atrophyto shrink (of muscles, customs, industries, etc.)

Examples

萎缩。
Zhè kē huā yīn wèi quē shuǐ ér wěi suō le.
This flower withered from lack of water.
萎缩。
Tā de tuǐ bù jī ròu kāi shǐ wěi suō le.
The muscles in his legs began to atrophy.
萎缩。
Chuán tǒng nóng yè zhèng zài bú duàn wěi suō.
Traditional agriculture is continuously shrinking.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

萎 (wither) and 缩 (shrink) combine into withering and shrinking.

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.

艹委萎

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎograss; plant

Sound part声符shēngfú

委

委wěi萎wěi

Same sound today

萎 puts 艹, a plant radical, over 委, which gives the sound.

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 縮; 缩 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mìstring, thread

Sound part声符shēngfú

宿

宿sù縮suō

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 縮 pairs 糸 (string, thread) with 宿, which gives the sound; the simplified 缩 is a shorthand.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Change & Process

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