About
The character "寡" derives from a structural combination of the roof radical "宀" and a component historically related to division or distribution, often associated with the character "頒", conveying an early concept of scarcity or insufficiency within a domestic context. Its original meaning focused on quantitative lack, describing fewness in number or scant resources, but over time the term acquired more specialized social meanings, such as referring to a widow, a person left alone and thus embodying a state of personal deficiency and solitude. This shift from general scantness to a condition of human absence allowed the character to maintain its core semantic field while adapting to nuanced applications in both classical and modern language.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
那个寡妇独自生活。
他性格寡言少语。
寡头控制着市场。
他崇尚寡欲生活。
他对朋友很寡情。
那位年轻的寡妇抚养着两个孩子。
他虽然寡言，但心里明白。
在寡头政治中，权力往往集中在少数人手中。