扫荡

掃蕩

sǎodàng

verb #13,479

Meanings

1 to mop up; to sweep clean (military)
2 to crack down on; to eradicate

Characters

to sweep; to clean

to swing; to wash away; to clear out

Examples

军队对敌军据点进行了扫荡。

Jūnduì duì díjūn jùdiǎn jìnxíng le sǎodàng.

The army swept through the enemy strongholds.

警方扫荡了多个犯罪窝点。

Jǐngfāng sǎodàng le duō gè fànzuì wōdiǎn.

The police raided multiple criminal hideouts.

Tips

usage

Originally a military term for clearing an area of enemies. Now also used figuratively: 扫荡冰箱 (raid the fridge), 扫荡自助餐 (devour everything at a buffet).

Stroke Order

扫 sǎo

荡 dàng