Meaning
消耗 refers to the process of using up or depleting resources, energy, materials, or time. It emphasizes the gradual reduction or wearing away of something through use. The word combines 消 (to disappear, to vanish) and 耗 (to waste, to consume), creating a meaning focused on depletion and expenditure.
Usage
This word is commonly used in formal and semi-formal contexts when discussing resource management, energy usage, physical exertion, or economic matters. It frequently appears with objects like 能量 (energy), 资源 (resources), 时间 (time), or 体力 (physical strength). Native speakers use it more in written or planned speech than casual conversation.
Examples
- 01这项工程消耗了大量的人力和物力。.This project consumed a large amount of manpower and material resources.
- 02长跑会消耗很多体力。.Long-distance running consumes a lot of physical strength.
Characters
Common collocations
- 消耗能量to consume energy
- 消耗资源to deplete resources
- 消耗战war of attrition
- 能源消耗energy consumption
Antonyms
Origin
Both characters relate to reduction and loss. 消 originally depicted ice melting away, while 耗 combines the grain radical with a phonetic component, suggesting the depletion of stored grain or resources.