adjective / verb HSK 5
desolate · barren · wild · to waste · to neglect
Meaning
荒 describes land or places that are wild, uncultivated, or abandoned. It can refer to physical barrenness (wasteland) or metaphorically to things being neglected or absurd. As a verb, it means to let something fall into disuse or to waste time.
Usage
Commonly used in formal or literary contexts to describe uninhabited areas, neglected fields, or wasted opportunities. Often appears in compound words like 荒凉 (desolate), 荒废 (to waste/abandon), and 荒唐 (absurd). Less common as a standalone character in everyday speech.
Examples
- 01这片土地多年无人耕种，已经变得很荒了。, .This land hasn't been cultivated for many years and has become very barren.
- 02他因为贪玩，荒了学业。, .Because he was too fond of playing, he neglected his studies.
Common collocations
- 荒地wasteland, barren land
- 荒山barren mountain
- 荒岛deserted island
- 荒年year of famine
Antonyms
Origin
The character 荒 contains the grass radical 艹 on top, suggesting overgrown vegetation, with 亡 (to lose/disappear) below, together conveying the idea of land lost to wild growth or abandonment.