不毛之地

bùmáozhīdì

idiom #28,255

Meanings

1 barren land
2 wasteland
3 desert
4 infertile region

Characters

hair / fur / vegetation

possessive particle (literary)

Examples

这片不毛之地在引水工程完成后变成了绿洲。

Zhè piàn bùmáo zhī dì zài yǐn shuǐ gōngchéng wánchéng hòu biàn chéng le lǜzhōu.

This barren wasteland turned into an oasis after the irrigation project was completed.

探险家穿越了这片不毛之地。

Tànxiǎn jiā chuānyuè le zhè piàn bùmáo zhī dì.

The explorer crossed this barren land.

Tips

memory

Literally 'land where not even hair grows' — 不 (not) + 毛 (hair/fur/vegetation) + 之 (possessive particle) + 地 (land). If vegetation is often called 'the hair of the earth', then 不毛之地 is a bald landscape.

Stroke Order

不 bù

毛 máo

之 zhī

地 dì