干枯 gānkū withered
withered; shriveled; dried-up
How to remember 干枯: 干 do + 枯 dried out = withered.
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How it is used
- Withered and dried up - of plants, skin, wells - 天旱使庄稼干枯 (tiān hàn shǐ zhuāngjia gānkū) the drought withered the crops.
- Describes loss of moisture: 干枯的树叶, 干枯的河床, 皮肤干枯. 干 reads gān (dry) here.
- Contrast 枯萎 (kūwěi), which stresses a living plant wilting/dying, while 干枯 emphasizes the dried-out, moisture-gone result and applies more broadly (skin, riverbeds).