埋藏

• Pinyin: mái cáng
• Hanzi breakdown: 埋 = 土 (earth) + 里 (inside) — buried in the earth; 藏 = 艹 (grass) + 臧 (to store) — hidden beneath vegetation

Meaning

To bury and conceal underground or within; to hide away in a secret location. Figuratively, to harbour deep-seated emotions or secrets.

Used both literally (buried treasure, subterranean resources) and metaphorically (concealed feelings, suppressed memories). Common in archaeology, natural resources, and psychological discourse.

Examples

1. 考古学家在遗址中发现了一批埋藏千年的青铜器，其保存状态之完好令人叹为观止。 Archaeologists discovered a batch of bronze artifacts that had been buried for a thousand years at the site, and their remarkably intact condition was astonishing.
2. 这片地下埋藏着储量丰富的天然气资源，正处于勘探开发的关键阶段。 Beneath this area lie abundant natural gas reserves, and it is now at a critical stage of exploration and development.
3. 她将那段痛苦的记忆深深埋藏在心底，从不对任何人提起。 She buried that painful memory deep in her heart and never mentioned it to anyone.

Usage Guide

Context: archaeology, natural resources, psychology, literature

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 地质勘探数据显示，该盆地地下埋藏的石油储量可能超过五十亿桶，具有极高的开采价值。(Geological survey data indicate that the oil reserves buried beneath the basin may exceed five billion barrels, representing extremely high extraction value.)
• 多年来，她将对父亲的怨恨深深埋藏，直到一次偶然的家庭聚会才将积压已久的情绪全部释放出来。(For years she buried her resentment towards her father until a chance family gathering caused all her long-suppressed emotions to finally pour out.)

Don't Say

• 将埋藏与掩埋混用 — 掩埋 often implies a practical act of covering something such as corpses or waste, while 埋藏 emphasises intentional concealment with an implication of stored value or hidden depth; they are not fully interchangeable

Origin & History

埋 (to bury) + 藏 (to conceal/store) — to bury away and hide from sight

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal