萧 xiāo mournful
mournful; desolate
How it came to be
Grass over another character, one meaning careful work. It named a kind of mugwort used at funerals, and the lonely sound of wind in dry stalks came with it.
用法
- 'Desolate, bleak' - chiefly in 萧条 (xiāotiáo), the standard word for economic depression/slump: 经济萧条 (jīngjì xiāotiáo) an economic downturn, or a 萧条 (deserted, cheerless) street.
- Also a common surname. The bleakness is atmospheric - cold, empty, lifeless.