Definition
出土 (chū tǔ) means 'to be unearthed' — it describes artifacts or relics coming out of the ground, used intransitively (the thing is unearthed). In contrast, 挖掘 (wā jué) and 发掘 (fā jué) are transitive verbs meaning 'to excavate' (someone digs something up); 发掘 also has a figurative sense (e.g., unearth talent). 出土 is only literal and archaeological.
verb
to be unearthedto be excavated
Examples
- 出土。Zhè zuò gǔmù chū tǔ le xǔduō zhēnguì wénwù.Many precious artifacts were unearthed from this ancient tomb.
- 出土。chū tǔ de qīngtóng qì jiāng bèi sòng wǎng bówùguǎn zhǎnlǎn.The unearthed bronze vessels will be sent to the museum for exhibition.
- 出土？Zhèxiē táoyǒng shì cóng shénme dìfang chū tǔ de chū tǔ de?Where were these pottery figurines unearthed from?
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