Definitions

ruins; (literary) village; variant of 圩[xū]; country fair

Etymology phono-semantic

earth

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "墟" in its traditional form is composed of the earth radical (土) and the component 虛, which originally conveyed notions of emptiness or a mound. This structure points directly to its core historical meaning of a desolate, abandoned mound or the ruins of a former human settlement, essentially an earthen place that has become empty. Over time, this concrete sense of physical ruins expanded into more abstract or figurative applications, referring to any vacant or abandoned space, and by further extension, it came to designate a rural market, a place that is empty until periodically filled with people for trade, as seen in the compound 墟市. While retaining its foundational association with ruins and desolation, its modern usage encompasses both the literal, such as an archaeological site, and the conceptual idea of a void or a center of activity that is transient in nature.

Example Sentences Hide

这片废很古老。

Zhè piàn fèixū hěn gǔlǎo.

This ruin is very ancient.

战争留下了许多废

Zhànzhēng liúxiàle xǔduō fèixū.

The war left many ruins.

我们在废中找到了宝藏。

Wǒmen zài fèixū zhōng zhǎodàole bǎozàng.

We found treasure in the ruins.

小镇的市很热闹。

Xiǎo zhèn de xūshì hěn rènào.

The small town's market is very lively.

每个周末都有市。

Měi gè zhōumò dōu yǒu xūshì.

There is a market every weekend.

探险队深入废寻找秘密。

Tànxiǎn duì shēnrù fèixū xúnzhǎo mìmì.

The expedition team went deep into the ruins to search for secrets.

他的梦想已成一片废

Tā de mèngxiǎng yǐ chéng yī piàn fèixū.

His dreams have become a ruin.

尽管场已废弃多年,但人们仍记得它的繁华。

Jǐnguǎn xūchǎng yǐ fèiqì duōnián, dàn rénmen réng jìde tā de fánhuá.

Although the market has been abandoned for many years, people still remember its prosperity.