杳 (yǎo) · distant and out of sight

Meanings

1 distant and out of sight
2 with no trace; vanished

Characters

杳

yǎo

distant; with no trace

Examples

HSK 7-9

他走后，一直杳无音信。

Tā zǒuhòu, yìzhí yǎowúyīnxìn.

After he left, there was no news of him at all.

HSK 7-9

船驶向远方，渐渐杳无踪迹。

Chuán shǐ xiàng yuǎnfāng, jiànjiàn yǎo wú zōngjì.

The ship sailed into the distance and gradually vanished from view.

Tips

usage

杳 is literary, almost always in 杳无音信 (no news whatsoever) and 杳无踪迹 (vanished without a trace).

Components

semantic

木 mù

tree; wood

The tree element on top. The character pictures the sun sinking below the trees, so the tree marks the horizon line that the light disappears behind.

semantic

日 rì

sun

The sun below the trees. Sun dropping out of sight behind the woods gives the meaning: dim, far off, gone without trace. Together the two parts form a vivid sunset scene.

Stroke Order

杳 yǎo

Related Words

杳渺 yǎomiǎo

dimly discernible / vast and indistinct / distant and faint

杳无消息 yǎowú-xiāoxī

to vanish without a trace / to hear nothing more from someone / no news whatsoever

杳无音信 yǎowú-yīnxìn #36,479

to have had no news whatever / all word and sign have vanished

杳无音讯 yǎowú-yīnxùn #36,209

to have no news whatever / to be completely out of contact

拔 bá HSK 7-9 #2,896

to pull up; to pull out; to uproot / to select; to promote; to stand out

出局 chūjú HSK 7-9 #2,394

to be eliminated; to be out / to be knocked out (of a competition)

抽 chōu HSK 5 #1,379

to draw out / to pull out / to smoke (cigarettes) / to extract

出 chū HSK 2 #105

to go out / to come out / to produce / to appear / measure word for plays and operas

抽出 chōuchū #8,273

to draw out; to pull out / to find (time); to set aside

出海 chūhǎi #8,973

to go out to sea; to put out to sea / to go overseas (for business expansion)