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荒芜 (huāng wú) — (of land, fields, gardens) to become overgrown and desolate; to lie waste

Definition

A descriptive verb for land that has become overgrown and abandoned through neglect — not just empty (空), but wild and uncared for. Usually appears with 一片 or describes 土地, 村庄, 花园.

verb
(of land, fields, gardens) to become overgrown and desolateto lie waste

Examples

  • 荒芜。
    Zhè piàn tǔ dì yǐ jīng huāng wú duō nián le.
    This piece of land has been lying waste for many years.
  • ，荒芜。
    Yóu yú méi rén zhào gù, huā yuán jiàn jiàn huāng wú le.
    Because no one took care of it, the garden gradually became overgrown.
  • 荒芜，。
    Zhàn hòu de cūn zhuāng yí piàn huāng wú, lìng rén xīn tòng.
    After the war, the village was a scene of desolation, heartbreaking.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

荒huāngdesolate
芜wúovergrown

'荒' (desolate) and '芜' (overgrown) build the idea of land lying waste.

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
艹Written in full as艸cǎograss, plant
Sound part声符shēngfú
巟
巟huāng荒huāng
Same sound today

荒 is built from 艹 (grass, plant) and 巟, with 巟 giving the sound huāng.

Open 荒 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 芜 →
Appears in
Environment & Ecology

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