凹

āo, wā
HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

āo (adjective) concave; sunken; indented
wā (adjective) sunken; depressed (of terrain)

Etymology

Pictograph of a concavity. Opposite of 凸.

About

Much like its counterpart 凸, the character 凹 is a purely ideographic symbol. It visually represents its meaning without using the standard system of semantic radicals and phonetic components found in most Chinese characters. Its shape directly depicts a surface with a central depression or hollow. Therefore, it means concave, sunken, or hollow. This character is widely used in topography to describe valleys or dips in the land, and in technical fields like optics to denote concave lenses that curve inward.

Example Sentences Hide

地面上有一个凹坑。

Dìmiàn shàng yǒu yī gè āo kēng.

There is a concave pit on the ground.

凹透镜可以发散光线。

Āo tòujìng kěyǐ fāsàn guāngxiàn.

Concave lenses can diverge light rays.

这块木板表面凹凸不平。

Zhè kuài mùbǎn biǎomiàn āo tū bù píng.

The surface of this wooden board is uneven.

汽车撞出了一个凹痕。

Qìchē zhuàng chūle yī gè āo hén.

The car collision left a dent.

山谷呈凹形，易于蓄水。

Shāngǔ chéng āo xíng, yìyú xù shuǐ.

The valley is concave in shape, making it easy to store water.

工程师设计了凹槽以固定零件。

Gōngchéngshī shèjìle āo cáo yǐ gùdìng língjiàn.

The engineer designed grooves to secure the parts.

由于长期挤压，金属板出现了凹陷。

Yóuyú chángqī jǐyā, jīnshǔ bǎn chūxiànle āoxiàn.

Due to long-term compression, the metal plate has become dented.

在光学系统中，凹面镜用于汇聚光线。

Zài guāngxué xìtǒng zhōng, āo miàn jìng yòngyú huìjù guāngxiàn.

In optical systems, concave mirrors are used to converge light rays.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

兕 垇

Component: 凹

兕 垇

Example Words

凹凸 凹入 凹凸不平 凹度 凹槽 凹洞 凹造型 凹进 凹陷 贾平凹 凹坑 凹痕 凹透镜