# 不毛之地

bù máo zhī dì

Barren land with little or no growth

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** Land where no vegetation grows

**Register:** Descriptive · formal

[Perspective](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/perspective)

## When to use it

Describe an infertile or desolate area.

Figurative use can unfairly demean a community.

## Understanding the expression

The absence of growth makes the land seem unable to sustain ordinary cultivation. Modern use describes deserts, severely damaged ground, or other barren areas. It can also figuratively label a field with few opportunities, but that judgment may ignore what local people value. The expression is vivid rather than a technical soil classification. Actual conditions, including water and ecology, matter more than the bleak appearance perceived by a passing observer.

## Examples

这里曾是不毛之地。

### Traditional Chinese

這裡曾是不毛之地。

zhè lǐ céng shì bù máo zhī dì 。

This place was once barren land.

矿区留下大片不毛之地。

### Traditional Chinese

礦區留下大片不毛之地。

kuàng qū liú xià dà piàn bù máo zhī dì 。

The mine left large barren areas.

他们试着在不毛之地种树。

### Traditional Chinese

他們試著在不毛之地種樹。

tā men shì zhe zài bù máo zhī dì zhòng shù 。

They tried planting trees on the barren land.

沙丘之间也有绿洲，并非全是不毛之地。

### Traditional Chinese

沙丘之間也有綠洲，並非全是不毛之地。

shā qiū zhī jiān yě yǒu lǜ zhōu ， bìng fēi quán shì bù máo zhī dì 。

Oases lie between the dunes; not all the land is barren.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 6, 2026.

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E4%B8%8D%E6%AF%9B%E4%B9%8B%E5%9C%B0)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=292&webMd=1&la=0)

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