About
The character "凄" developed from its traditional form "淒", which integrates the water radical "氵" with the phonetic element "妻" to express notions of cold, potentially derived from the chill of water. In the simplified version, the water radical was replaced by "冫", the ice radical, thereby strengthening the association with low temperature. Initially referring to physical cold, the character's semantic range expanded to encompass emotional and atmospheric qualities such as desolation, grief, and melancholy, evident in terms like "凄凉" for desolate and "凄惨" for tragic. The component "妻" continues to indicate pronunciation without contributing to the meaning, while the radical shift underscores the core idea of cold that underpins both literal and figurative applications.
Example Sentences Hide
冬天的夜晚很凄凉。
他露出了凄惨的笑容。
雨中的街道显得分外凄凉。
战争留下了凄惨的回忆。
凄冷的月光照在空地上。
她独自一人，感到无比凄楚。
废墟中弥漫着一种凄迷的气氛。
经济萧条给小镇带来了凄凉的景象。