About
The character for "erosion" or "to eclipse" originates from the traditional form "蝕", a composite character that visually conveys its core concept through its components. Its structure combines the meaning element 虫, representing an insect or worm, with the phonetic and semantic component 食, meaning to eat, suggesting a process of being eaten away or consumed. This etymology points to an early meaning centered on literal loss, such as insects damaging crops, which naturally extended to describe the gradual wearing away of substances. The conceptual scope of the character further expanded to encompass astronomical events, where one celestial body appears to consume another, as in a solar or lunar eclipse. The modern simplified form "蚀" retains the phonetic element 饣, a derivative of 食, while omitting the insect radical, a modification that streamlines the character but preserves its fundamental association with loss and gradual diminishment, reflecting a semantic shift from specific physical damage to a broader principle of corrosion and obscuration.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
酸雨会腐蚀建筑物。
海风侵蚀着古老的岩石。
这块金属已经严重锈蚀了。
流水日夜不停地侵蚀着河岸。
月蚀是一种有趣的天文现象。
经济危机导致了资本的严重蚀耗。
这些壁画正受到湿气的缓慢剥蚀。
投资者的本金在通货膨胀中逐渐被蚀损。