潦 (lǎo) - Flooded, waterlogged & messy, sloppy

潦Tone 3

lǎo ｜ 15 strokes ｜ radical:

嘹林

潦 · lǎo

Flooded, waterlogged;

messy, sloppy;

careless, negligent;

also refers to poor handwriting or rough draft.

Flooded, waterloggedmessy, sloppycareless, negligent

Usage highlights

Flooded waterMessy handwritingPoor and downcastRough draftWaterlogging disasterCareless writing

Synonyms

  • 草— careless, rough (in handwriting)
  • 乱— messy, disorderly
  • 倒— downcast, fallen (in 潦倒)

Antonyms

  • 整— neat, orderly
  • 齐— tidy,整齐
  • 工— careful, neat (in handwriting)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The heavy rain flooded the fields (潦水).
  • His handwriting is messy and hard to read (字迹潦草).
  • This is just a rough draft (潦草成篇).
  • The poor scholar lived in poverty (穷愁潦倒).

Collocations

  • Flooded water(潦水)
  • Messy handwriting(潦草)
  • Poor and downcast(潦倒)
  • Rough draft(潦草成篇)
  • Waterlogging disaster(潦灾)
  • Careless writing(潦草书写)

Idioms

  • Poor and downcast(穷愁潦倒)
  • Written carelessly(潦草塞责)
  • Living in poverty and distress(潦倒穷愁)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally described water overflowing its banks, later extended to describe messy, careless states.
  • In calligraphy and writing, '潦草' specifically refers to hasty, illegible handwriting.
  • Used in classical literature to describe scholars living in poverty and distress.

FAQ