扫地 (sǎo dì) — to sweep the floor; (figurative) to be complete… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A 离合词 (separable verb): 扫 + 地 can split, e.g. 扫了一次地. The figurative sense — 'to be completely discredited, hit rock bottom' (信誉扫地) — is the literary, image-based extension of the literal act of being 'swept to the ground'.

verb

to sweep the floor(figurative) to be completely discreditedto reach the nadir (of reputation)

Examples

。
Wǒ měi zhōu sǎo liǎng cì dì.
I sweep the floor twice a week.
扫地。
Tā zhèng zài sǎo dì.
She is sweeping the floor.
扫地。
Nà jiā gōng sī yǐ jīng xìn yù sǎo dì le.
That company's reputation has been ruined.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

扫地 joins 扫, sweep, with 地, floor, giving the action of clearing the ground.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 掃; 扫 is its simplified writing.

The form 掃 draws a hand with a broomstick, the thing used for sweeping.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

土也地

Meaning part形符xíngfú

土土tǔearth

Sound part声符shēngfú

也

也yě地dì

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

地 is built from 土 (earth) and 也, which gives its sound.

Appears in

Cleaning & Chores

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