淡薄 (dàn bó) — thin, light, faint (of fog, color, flavor); to fade, to wane (of interest, memory, feelings); indifferent, unconcerned (of human relationships or moral sense)

Definition

An adjective for things that thin out or lose intensity — fog, color, flavor, memory, or interest. Of people or feelings, it means indifferent or emotionally distant, like 感情变得淡薄.

adjective
thinlightfaint (of fog, color, flavor)to fadeto wane (of interest, memory, feelings)indifferentunconcerned (of human relationships or moral sense)

Examples

  • 淡薄，。
    Chén wù jiàn jiàn dàn bó le, yuǎn chù de shān yě qīng xī qǐ lái.
    The morning mist gradually thinned, and the distant mountains became clear.
  • 淡薄。
    Tā duì zhè jiàn shì de xìng qù yǐ jīng dàn bó le hěn duō.
    His interest in this matter has faded a lot.
  • ，淡薄。
    Duō nián bú jiàn, wǒ men zhī jiān de gǎn qíng biàn de dàn bó le.
    After years apart, the feelings between us have become faint.

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.

淡dànthin/faint
薄báothin/weak

淡 and 薄 both mean thin or faint, so together they describe something weak or fading.

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

淡 puts 氵 (water) beside 炎, which gives the sound yán.

Open 淡 →

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
艹Written in full as艸cǎo
Sound part声符shēngfú
溥
溥pǔ薄báo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

薄 combines 艹, a grass part, with 溥 as the sound part.

Open 薄 →

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