壙 (kuàng) - Wasteland & uncultivated land

壙Tone 4

kuàng ｜ 17 strokes ｜ radical:

俊梁

壙 · kuàng

Wasteland;

uncultivated land;

wilderness;

also refers to a tomb pit or grave.

Wastelanduncultivated landwilderness

Usage highlights

WildernessTomb pitAbandoned fieldEmpty expanseOpen countryUncultivated land

Synonyms

  • 旷— spacious; vast; free from worries
  • 荒— waste; uncultivated; desolate
  • 野— wild; field; open country

Antonyms

  • 耕— to plow; cultivated land
  • 城— city; walled settlement
  • 园— garden; cultivated plot

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The vast wilderness (旷野) stretched for miles.
  • They excavated an ancient tomb pit (墓壙).
  • The abandoned field lay fallow (荒壙).
  • He gazed into the empty expanse (空壙).

Collocations

  • Wilderness(旷野)
  • Tomb pit(墓壙)
  • Abandoned field(荒壙)
  • Empty expanse(空壙)
  • Open country(壙野)
  • Uncultivated land(壙土)

Idioms

  • Vast and boundless(壙壙無垠)
  • Wild and desolate(荒壙寥落)
  • Empty as a tomb(空如壙穴)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In traditional Chinese culture, 壙 specifically refers to the excavated pit for a coffin, making it associated with burial rites.
  • The character carries connotations of emptiness, desolation, and untamed nature beyond human cultivation.
  • Its usage in classical texts often evokes a sense of vast, uninhabited space or the void of death.

FAQ