耗 (hào) - to consume, to waste, to use up & bad news

耗Tone 4

hào ｜ 10 strokes ｜ radical:

枫惠

耗 · hào

to consume, to waste, to use up;

bad news;

a rat-like animal

to consume, to waste, to use upbad newsa rat-like animal

Usage highlights

ConsumptionPower consumptionTimeWasteBad newsInternal friction

Synonyms

  • 消— to disappear, to eliminate
  • 费— to spend, to consume
  • 损— to damage, to lose

Antonyms

  • 省— to save, to economize
  • 积— to accumulate, to store
  • 蓄— to save up, to conserve

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • This device consumes a lot of electricity (耗电).
  • We need to reduce unnecessary expenses (消耗).
  • The long meeting was a waste of time (耗时).
  • The bad news spread quickly (噩耗).

Collocations

  • Consumption(消耗)
  • Power consumption(耗电)
  • Time-consuming(耗时)
  • Waste(耗费)
  • Bad news(噩耗)
  • Internal friction(内耗)

Idioms

  • Waste money and effort(枉费心机)
  • Five grains do not flourish(五谷不丰)
  • Grumble and complain(怨声载道)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally referred to a type of rodent that consumed grain, hence the association with consumption and waste.
  • In modern usage, often carries negative connotations of depletion and inefficiency.
  • The character appears in economic and environmental contexts discussing resource usage.

FAQ