薮 (sǒu) - marsh, swamp & gathering place

薮Tone 3

sǒu ｜ 16 strokes ｜ radical:

树檀

薮 · sǒu

marsh, swamp;

gathering place;

den, haunt;

thick growth of grass or weeds;

used metaphorically for a place where things or people gather.

marsh, swampgathering placeden, haunt

Usage highlights

marsh and lakeden of thievesgathering place of talentsfox's denplace of abundancegrass thicket

Synonyms

  • 泽— marsh, wetland
  • 沼— swamp, bog
  • 渊— deep pool; abyss (in compound 渊薮)

Antonyms

  • 原— plain, open field
  • 漠— desert

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The fox hid in its den (狐穴于薮).
  • This area is a marshland (这片是沼泽薮).
  • The city became a den of thieves (城市成了盗贼之薮).
  • He is a treasury of knowledge (他是知识的渊薮).

Collocations

  • marsh and lake(薮泽)
  • den of thieves(盗薮)
  • gathering place of talents(才薮)
  • fox's den(狐薮)
  • place of abundance(渊薮)
  • grass thicket(草薮)

Idioms

  • A place where dragons and snakes gather(龙蛇之薮)
  • The den of foxes and rabbits(狐兔之薮)
  • A treasury of articles(文章渊薮)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In classical texts, 薮 often refers to wetlands or marshes, one of the types of terrain in ancient Chinese geography.
  • Metaphorically extended to mean a place where people or things of a certain kind gather, especially in a dense or hidden manner.
  • Used in literary contexts to denote a rich source or repository, as in 渊薮 (abyss and marsh), meaning a gathering place.

FAQ