洗劫一空

xǐjié-yìkōng

idiom #21,396

Meanings

1 to loot completely
2 to ransack and leave nothing behind
3 to clean out (a place)

Characters

to wash / to clean out

to plunder / rob

one / completely

empty / nothing left

Examples

HSK 6

小偷趁主人外出，把家里洗劫一空。

Xiǎotōu chèn zhǔrén wàichū, bǎ jiālǐ xǐjié-yìkōng.

The thief took advantage of the owner's absence and cleaned out the house completely.

HSK 6

战争结束后，整个城市几乎被洗劫一空。

Zhànzhēng jiéshù hòu, zhěnggè chéngshì jīhū bèi xǐjié-yìkōng.

After the war ended, the entire city had been almost completely looted.

Tips

memory

Think of 洗 (wash) + 劫 (plunder) + 一空 (until empty) - to wash and plunder until nothing remains. The metaphor of washing away everything makes the totality vivid.

Stroke Order

洗 xǐ

劫 jié

一 yī

空 kōng