About
The character "垦" originates from its traditional form "墾", which is composed of the components "豸" representing a beast or animal, and "土" meaning earth, combined with "艮" suggesting obstinacy or difficulty, thus etymologically conveying the act of breaking hard, virgin soil with the aid of animal force. This structural composition directly informed its early meaning, which was specifically to plough or cultivate uncultivated land. Over time, the character’s application broadened beyond the purely agricultural context to encompass any diligent effort to bring wasteland or unused resources into productive use, a semantic expansion that carried the concept from physical toil into more abstract domains of development and reclamation. The simplified form "垦" retains the "艮" and "土" elements while replacing the complex "豸" with a simpler component, thus preserving the core idea of working the earth but streamlining its graphical representation.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
农民开垦荒地。
这片土地被开垦了。
政府鼓励开垦农田。
垦荒需要付出很多努力。
他们计划开垦这片山区。
经过多年的开垦，这里变成了良田。
垦殖活动对环境有影响。
在干旱地区开垦土地需要先进的技术。