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空室清野

kōng shì qīng yědictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
empty room, clean field (idiom) / clean out everything to leave nothing for the enemy / scorched earth policy
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-895d686995a0af7f. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

空室清野 空室清野 [kong1 shi4 qing1 ye3] /empty room, clean field (idiom); clean out everything to leave nothing for the enemy/scorched earth policy/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

  • 空
    kōng

    empty / air / sky / in vain

    kòng

    to empty / vacant / unoccupied / space / leisure / free time

  • 室
    shì

    room / work unit / grave / scabbard / family or clan / one of the 28 constellations of Chinese astronomy

    Shì

    surname Shi

  • 清
    qīng

    (of water etc) clear / clean / quiet / still / pure / uncorrupted / clear / distinct / to clear / to settle (accounts)

    Qīng

    Qing (Wade-Giles: Ch'ing) dynasty of China (1644–1911) / surname Qing

  • 野
    yě

    field / plain / open space / limit / boundary / rude / feral

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.