拉撒 (lā sā) — garbage; refuse

Definition

垃圾 (lājī) means garbage or refuse — household and everyday waste. This is the everyday spoken word; the more formal written term is 废弃物.

noun
garbagerefuse
Measure word · 袋

Examples

  • 拉撒。
    Zhè xiē lā sā yīng gāi fēn lèi huí shōu.
    This garbage should be sorted for recycling.
  • 拉撒。
    Tā bǎ lā sā rēng jìn le lā jī tǒng.
    He threw the garbage into the trash bin.
  • 拉撒。
    Xiǎo qū lǐ de lā sā xū yào jí shí qīng lǐ.
    The garbage in the community needs to be cleaned up promptly.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

拉lāexcrete
撒sāexcrete

拉 and 撒 both refer to bodily waste, so 拉撒 means refuse.

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
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
立
立lì拉lā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

拉 pairs 手 (hand) with 立, a component that supplies the sound.

Open 拉 →

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
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
散
散sàn撒sǎ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

撒 combines 扌 (hand) with 散, which gives the sound; the hand part shows scattering with the hand.

Open 撒 →
Appears in
Cleaning & Chores

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