Meaning
荒凉 describes a place that is empty, barren, and lacking in life or vitality. It conveys a sense of abandonment and loneliness, typically used for landscapes, buildings, or areas that appear uninhabited and lifeless. The word carries both a physical description and an emotional atmosphere of bleakness.
Usage
荒凉 is commonly used in literary and descriptive contexts to paint vivid pictures of desolate landscapes like deserts, abandoned villages, or ruins. It can describe both natural environments and human-made spaces that have fallen into disrepair. The term often appears in travel writing, poetry, and narrative prose to evoke a melancholic or eerie mood.
Examples
- 01这座废弃的工厂看起来非常荒凉。.This abandoned factory looks very desolate.
- 02冬天的戈壁滩显得更加荒凉了。.The Gobi Desert appears even more desolate in winter.
Characters
Common collocations
- 荒凉的沙漠desolate desert
- 一片荒凉a scene of desolation
- 显得荒凉to appear desolate
- 荒凉景象desolate scene
Antonyms
Origin
荒 originally meant uncultivated wasteland, while 凉 means cool or cold. Together they create a compound that emphasizes the cold, lifeless quality of desolate places.