Definitions

zāi (noun) disaster; calamity

Etymology

Depicts a fire () burning a building ().

About

The character "灾" originates from the traditional form "災", which is composed of "川" meaning river and "火" meaning fire, reflecting its early association with floods and fires as primary disasters. The simplified form "灾" modifies this structure by placing "宀", representing a roof, over "火", thus emphasizing the concept of a fire within a home. Over time, the meaning of the character expanded from denoting specific natural calamities to encompassing a broader range of misfortunes and catastrophic events.

Example Sentences Hide

昨天这里发生了火

Zuótiān zhèlǐ fāshēng le huǒzāi.

Yesterday, a fire disaster occurred here.

洪水造成严重水

Hóngshuǐ zàochéng yánzhòng shuǐzāi.

The flood caused a serious water disaster.

自然害很难预测。

Zìrán zāihài hěn nán yùcè.

Natural disasters are hard to predict.

政府正在组织救工作。

Zhèngfǔ zhèngzài zǔzhī jiùzāi gōngzuò.

The government is organizing disaster relief work.

群众需要帮助。

Shòuzāi qúnzhòng xūyào bāngzhù.

The affected people need help.

这次地震是一场大难。

Zhè cì dìzhèn shì yī chǎng dà zāinàn.

This earthquake is a great disaster.

预防害比救更重要。

Yùfáng zāihài bǐ jiùzāi gèng zhòngyào.

Preventing disasters is more important than disaster relief.

国际社会援助后重建。

Guójì shèhuì yuánzhù zāi hòu chóngjiàn.

The international community assists in post-disaster reconstruction.