空虚

When we talk about emptiness, we are usually describing two different things. First, it is a physical state where something is vacant or hollow. Think of an empty jar or an abandoned house.

Second, it is a deep emotional state. Have you ever felt like something was missing inside, even if you couldn't name it? That is the emotional version of emptiness. It is a common human experience that writers and poets have explored for centuries.

The word emptiness comes from the Old English word æmtig, which meant 'at leisure' or 'unoccupied.' Over time, the meaning shifted from simply being 'free to do something' to 'containing nothing at all.'

It shares roots with Germanic languages, reflecting a long history of describing space and void. By the Middle English period, it began to take on the psychological weight it carries today, moving from physical containers to the human heart.

You will often hear emptiness used with words like feeling, sense, or vast. For example, 'a sense of emptiness' is a very common phrase when talking about grief or loss.

It is used in both casual conversations and formal literature. While you might say 'the room had an air of emptiness' in a book, you might simply say 'the box is empty' in daily life. Remember, emptiness is the noun form, while empty is the adjective.

1. Empty-handed: Returning without anything. Example: 'I went to the store but came back empty-handed.'
2. Empty-headed: Someone who is silly or not thinking. Example: 'Don't be so empty-headed!'
3. Running on empty: Having no energy left. Example: 'I have been working for 12 hours; I am running on empty.'
4. Empty vessel: Someone who talks a lot but says nothing of value. Example: 'He is an empty vessel.'
5. Empty promises: Promises that are never kept. Example: 'I am tired of your empty promises.'

Emptiness is an uncountable noun. You don't usually say 'an emptiness' unless you are being very poetic. It is stressed on the first syllable: EMP-ti-ness.

It rhymes with words like readiness or steadiness. In both British and American English, the 'p' is often silent or very soft, making it sound like em-ti-ness.