掏空 (tāo kōng) — to hollow out (by digging or scooping); to drain, to use up completely (resources, energy, money, etc.)
Definition
Literally 'dig empty': the literal sense is to hollow out a physical object; the common figurative sense is to drain someone's money, energy, or other resources completely. Often used in 把-constructions.
verb
to hollow out (by digging or scooping)to drainto use up completely (resources, energy, money, etc.)
Examples
- 掏空。Tā men bǎ nà kē dà shù cóng gēn bù tāo kōng le.They hollowed out that big tree from the roots.
- 掏空。Duō nián de jīng yíng yǐ jīng tāo kōng le tā de jī xù.Years of running the business have drained his savings.
- 掏空。Lián xù sān gè tōng xiāo jiā bān tāo kōng le tā suǒ yǒu de jīng lì.Three all‑night shifts in a row exhausted all his energy.
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