壑
mountain ravine; deep valley; metaphor for insatiable desire
Meanings
3 senses · 6 examplesnoun
mountain ravine; deep gully
literaryRefers specifically to a deep, narrow, often steep-sided valley or channel in mountainous terrain. Literary term.
From the distance came the sound of flowing water from the deep ravine.
The expedition team arduously traversed the deep gully.
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Thousands of mountains and ravines create perilous terrain.
noun
big water pit; deep pool
literaryRefers to a deep, water-filled depression. Less common than the 'ravine' sense.
After the downpour, a huge water pit formed at the village entrance.
noun
(figurative) insatiable desire; greed
literaryUsed metaphorically, almost exclusively in the idiom '欲壑难填' (yù hè nán tián).
He is insatiably greedy, truly a case of 'insatiable desire is hard to fill'.
The idiom 'yù hè nán tián' metaphorically describes a person's greed that can never be satisfied.