疏

疎

shū

㐬 + 𤴔

Definitions

shū (adjective) sparse; thin; scattered

shū (adjective) distant (relation); not close

shū (verb) to neglect; to be negligent

shū (verb) to dredge; to clear away obstruction

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 疋 represents the sound and 㐬 represents the meaning. Based on the original meaning "unblock, get things flowing". The meaning later shifted to "open up", "sparse", "wide apart", and "neglect".

About

The character 疏 means sparse, distant, or to clear away. It is a phono-semantic compound: 疋 (shū, also read pǐ), originally a pictograph of a foot, supplies the sound, while 㐬 (liú) supplies the meaning. The earliest sense was "unblock, get things flowing" (like dredging a waterway). This later gave rise to "open up", "sparse", and "wide apart", the opposite of dense or close. From physical sparseness, it shifted to distant personal relationships and to neglect, i.e., a lack of careful attention.

Etymology Hide

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他疏忽了重要细节。

Tā shūhū le zhòngyào xìjié.

He neglected important details.

我们需要疏通这条堵塞的管道。

Wǒmen xūyào shūtōng zhè tiáo dǔsè de guǎndào.

We need to unclog this blocked pipe.

这篇文章结构有些松散。

Zhè piān wénzhāng jiégòu yǒuxiē sōngsǎn.

The structure of this article is somewhat loose.

他因疏于练习而退步了。

Tā yīn shū yú liànxí ér tuìbù le.

He regressed due to neglecting practice.

志愿者们帮忙疏散人群。

Zhìyuànzhě men bāngmáng shūsàn rénqún.

The volunteers helped to evacuate the crowd.

她对陌生人总是很疏远。

Tā duì mòshēngrén zǒng shì hěn shūyuǎn.

She is always very distant towards strangers.

政府采取措施疏导交通。

Zhèngfǔ cǎiqǔ cuòshī shūdǎo jiāotōng.

The government takes measures to guide the traffic flow.

多年的分离带来了疏离感。

Duō nián de fēnlí dàiláile shūlí gǎn.

Years of separation have brought a sense of alienation.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 㐬

Component: 𤴔

疏