涝

• Pinyin: lào
• Hanzi breakdown: 涝 = 氵(water radical) + 劳 (labour/hardship — phonetic and semantic complement)

Meaning

Waterlogged; flooded; suffering from inundation due to excessive rainfall.

Describes agricultural land or regions submerged or damaged by floodwater, particularly after sustained heavy rain. Often contrasted with 旱 (drought). Frequently appears in meteorological, agricultural, and disaster-relief contexts.

Examples

1. 连续暴雨导致大片农田受涝，庄稼损失相当严重。 Days of torrential rain left vast areas of farmland waterlogged, and the crop losses were severe.
2. 今年南方洪涝严重，许多沿河村庄被迫紧急转移。 Flooding has been severe in the south this year, and many riverside villages were forced to evacuate urgently.
3. 排水系统老化是导致城市内涝频发的主要原因之一。 An aging drainage system is one of the main reasons urban flooding happens so often.

Usage Guide

Context: agriculture, meteorology, disaster relief

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 这片农田今年严重受涝，几乎颗粒无收。(This farmland suffered severe flooding this year with almost no harvest.)
• 防涝措施必须在汛期来临之前全面落实到位。(Flood-prevention measures must be fully implemented before the flood season arrives.)

Don't Say

• 用涝形容室内积水或小面积积水 — 涝通常指大范围农业或区域性洪涝灾害，不用于普通积水问题

Origin & History

涝 = 氵(water radical) + 劳 (labour/toil) — water overwhelming the land, causing damage and hardship

Cultural Context

Era: Traditional/Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal