荒

huāng

巟 + 艹

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

huāng (adjective) desolate; wasteland; barren

huāng (adjective) shortage; scarce

huāng (adjective) uncultivated; wild

huāng (verb) to neglect

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 艹 represents the meaning and 巟 represents the sound.

Semantic: 芒 Phonetic: 川

About

荒 is a phono-semantic compound: the upper component 艹 indicates vegetation, while the lower component 巟 provides the phonetic element and evokes a vast watery expanse. Its original sense referred to overgrown, uncultivated land, leading to core meanings like wasteland, desolation, and barrenness. Over time, the meaning broadened from physical wilderness to include abstract notions such as famine, neglect of duty, and absurd or unreasonable conduct.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这片土地很荒凉。

Zhè piàn tǔdì hěn huāngliáng.

This land is very desolate.

他荒废了很多时间。

Tā huāngfèi le hěnduō shíjiān.

He wasted a lot of time.

我们在荒地上种树。

Wǒmen zài huāngdì shàng zhòng shù.

We plant trees on the wasteland.

花园里长满了荒草。

Huāyuán lǐ zhǎng mǎn le huāngcǎo.

The garden is overgrown with weeds.

这个故事太荒诞了。

Zhège gùshì tài huāngdàn le.

This story is too absurd.

荒原上吹着猛烈的风。

Huāngyuán shàng chuī zhe měngliè de fēng.

A fierce wind blows across the wasteland.

如果继续荒废学业，你会后悔的。

Rúguǒ jìxù huāngfèi xuéyè, nǐ huì hòuhuǐ de.

If you continue to neglect your studies, you will regret it.

由于长期荒废，这片农田已经无法耕种。

Yóuyú chángqī huāngfèi, zhè piàn nóngtián yǐjīng wúfǎ gēngzhòng.

Due to long-term neglect, this farmland can no longer be cultivated.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 巟

荒