fu1枯
Jyutpingfu1
Yalefū
Definition
Dried up, withered, or lacking water.
colloquialnaturedescriptions
How it's used
Focuses specifically on the state of living things losing their moisture and vitality, such as plants or skin. It carries a sense of finality, implying that the object has reached a point where it can no longer be easily revived. While it can describe a dried-up well, it is most frequently encountered when discussing gardening or the health of vegetation.
Examples
The flowers have withered, hurry up and water them.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use this to describe inanimate objects that are simply not wet, like a dry towel or a dry floor. Use 乾 for those situations instead.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
