沙漠 (shā mò) — desert | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

沙漠 is a hot, dry, uninhabited land (think Sahara). 沙滩, also 'shā-', is the sandy shore by the sea — not a desert.

noun

desert

Measure word · 个

沙漠。
shā mò Lǐ fēi cháng gān zào.
The desert is very dry.
沙漠。
Tā men kāi chē chuān guò le yí piàn dà shā mò.
They drove across a large desert.
沙漠。
shā mò De yè wǎn hěn lěng.
Desert nights are very cold.

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.

沙 is sand, and 漠 is a barren land; together they mean a sandy desert.

Characters in this word

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

沙 puts 少 (dots) beside 水 (water), showing sand on a shoreline.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

莫

Same sound today

漠 pairs 水 (water) with 莫 as the sound part. The water part shows the meaning is connected to water.

Appears in