枯萎 (kū wěi) — withered, wilted | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

'Withered, wilted' — mainly for plants (leaves, flowers, grass) losing moisture and drooping. Lighter than 萎缩 (which also covers bodily/organ atrophy) and more vivid than 凋谢 (poetic, often for flowers).

adjective

witheredwilted

Examples

枯萎。
Zhè kē shù de yè zi dōu kū wěi le.
The leaves of this tree have all withered.
枯萎。
Tā de rè qíng yǐ jīng kū wěi le.
His enthusiasm has already faded.
，枯萎。
Qiū tiān dào le, cǎo dì shàng de cǎo kāi shǐ kū wěi.
Autumn has arrived, and the grass on the lawn is starting to wither.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

枯kūwithered

枯 and 萎 both describe drying and wilting, so together they mean withered.

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.

木古枯

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùtree

Sound part声符shēngfú

古

古gǔ枯kū

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

枯 pairs 木 (tree) with 古, 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.

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.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Plants & Flowers

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