莠 (yǒu) - Tares, weeds & bad, evil

莠Tone 3

yǒu ｜ 10 strokes ｜ radical:

咏与

莠 · yǒu

Tares, weeds;

bad, evil;

worthless, inferior;

resembling but not the same as something good.

Tares, weedsbad, evilworthless, inferior

Usage highlights

Good and bad mixed togetherWeeds among the seedlingsBad grassWorthless personEvil and goodTo eliminate the bad

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • 良— good, excellent
  • 优— superior, excellent
  • 嘉禾— good grain

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The field is full of weeds (良莠不齐).
  • He is a bad person mixed among the good (良莠混杂).
  • This is an inferior imitation (不郎不莠).

Collocations

  • Good and bad mixed together(良莠不齐)
  • Weeds among the seedlings(莠苗)
  • Bad grass(莠草)
  • Worthless person(不莠)
  • Evil and good(良莠)
  • To eliminate the bad(去莠)

Idioms

  • The good and the bad are intermingled(良莠不齐)
  • Neither one thing nor the other(不郎不莠)
  • To distinguish the good from the bad(辨莠别良)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In ancient Chinese agriculture, '莠' specifically referred to weeds that resembled grain crops, making them difficult to identify and remove.
  • The character is often used metaphorically to describe people or things that appear good on the surface but are actually bad or worthless.
  • It carries strong negative connotations in both literal and figurative usage, warning against superficial judgments.

FAQ