坳 (ào) - A hollow in the ground & a depression
坳 · ào
A hollow in the ground;
a depression;
a low-lying area;
used in topography and place names.
A hollow in the grounda depressiona low-lying area
Usage highlights
Mountain hollowDepression landPass openingBasin pondLowHollow terrain
Usage & contexts
Examples
- There is a small hollow (山坳) in the mountain.
- The village is located in a depression (坳地).
- We rested at the mountain pass (坳口).
- The terrain forms a basin (坳塘).
Collocations
- Mountain hollow(山坳)
- Depression land(坳地)
- Pass opening(坳口)
- Basin pond(坳塘)
- Low-lying area(低坳)
- Hollow terrain(坳形)
Idioms
- Not a single word (不着一字，尽得风流) - from poetry, sometimes describing landscape with hollows
Cultural background
FAQ- Commonly used in Chinese topography to describe natural depressions and hollows in mountainous regions.
- Frequently appears in place names throughout southern China where such terrain features are common.
- Used in classical Chinese poetry and literature to describe natural landscapes.