About
The character 陌, in its earliest usage, referred specifically to a footpath or a narrow lane dividing fields in a rural landscape, a meaning directly informed by its structural composition which combines the radical 阝, representing a mound or landform, with the component 百 which served a phonetic function. From this concrete, geographical sense, the character’s meaning broadened to denote any road or path in a general sense, and it was this very concept of a dividing path that provided the foundation for its subsequent semantic shift toward notions of separation and unfamiliarity. This metaphorical application is most clearly seen in the compound 陌生, meaning "strange" or "unfamiliar", where the idea of a path one has not traveled transforms into a description for that which is unknown or unacquainted, thereby extending the character’s semantic field from the physical to the abstract while retaining a conceptual link to its agricultural origins.
Example Sentences Hide
我对这个城市很陌生。
这里的环境让我感到陌生。
他们从此成为陌路。
我走在乡村的阡陌上。
面对陌生的工作，他有些紧张。
互联网让世界不再陌生。
虽然这个地方我很陌生，但我很快适应了。
在人生的陌路上，我们总会遇到新的朋友。