About
漠 (mò) is a phono-semantic compound: the water radical 氵 on the left indicates the general meaning, while 莫 on the right supplies the sound. Although water appears at odds with the character's desert meaning, historically 漠 described vast, featureless expanses, including large bodies of water, which explains the radical. The phonetic 莫 (mò) means 'none' or 'nothing' and also adds a semantic layer of emptiness or absence. The primary meaning of 漠 is a vast, arid desert, a barren expanse of sand with sparse vegetation. From this sense of empty landscape, it came to describe an emotion of indifference, aloofness, or lack of concern.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
这片沙漠很广阔。
他对人很冷漠。
漠视问题是不对的。
沙漠中的绿洲很少。
她的态度漠然，让人不安。
探险队迷失在茫茫沙漠里。
这片荒漠几乎无人居住。
由于长期漠视环境保护，这片土地逐渐变成了荒漠。
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