荼 (tú) — (literary) a bitter edible plant (sowthistle); (in compounds) used in 如火如荼 'like a raging fire' and 荼毒 'to poison, to cause suffering'
Definition
A literary bound form for a bitter plant (sow thistle). It survives today mainly inside two set compounds: 如火如荼 ('raging, in full swing') and 荼毒 ('to poison, to ravage').
bound form
(literary) a bitter edible plant (sowthistle)(in compounds) used in 如火如荼 'like a raging fire' and 荼毒 'to poisonto cause suffering'
Examples
- 。Bǐ sài jìn xíng dé rú huǒ rú tú.The competition is like a raging fire.
- 。Dú pǐn tú dú le xǔ duō nián qīng rén.Drugs have poisoned many young people.
- 。Zhè zhǒng yào wù de fù zuò yòng shì tú dú shēng líng.The side effect of this drug is poisoning living beings.
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