沃土 (wò tǔ) — fertile soil; loam

Definition

Literary term for 'fertile soil', often used metaphorically for an environment that nurtures growth (e.g. talent, culture). More formal and figurative than the everyday 土地.

noun
fertile soilloam
Measure word · 块

Examples

  • 沃土。
    Zhè piàn wò tǔ fēi cháng shì hé zhòng zhí shuǐ dào.
    This fertile soil is very suitable for growing rice.
  • 沃土。
    Liáng hǎo de jiào yù shì rén cái chéng zhǎng de wò tǔ.
    Good education is the fertile soil for talent to grow.
  • 沃土。
    Bǎo hù shī dì jiù shì bǎo hù yí piàn piàn wò tǔ.
    Protecting wetlands means protecting patches of fertile soil.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

沃wòfertile
土tǔsoil

沃 means fertile and 土 means soil, together naming rich earth.

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
夭
夭yāo沃wò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

沃 combines 氵 (water) with 夭 giving the sound; the shape shows irrigating with water.

Open 沃 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 土 →

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