伤风败俗 (shāng fēng bài sú) — outrageous; scandalous; morally corrupting (of behavior or actions)

Definition

Literary idiom for behavior that corrupts public morals — formal, written, very strong, used to condemn scandalous conduct.

idiom
outrageousscandalousmorally corrupting (of behavior or actions)

Examples

  • 伤风败俗。
    Zhè zhǒng shāng fēng bài sú de xíng wéi yǐn qǐ le gōng fèn.
    This kind of scandalous behavior aroused public outrage.
  • 伤风败俗，。
    Tā men jué de nà xiē diàn yǐng nèi róng shāng fēng bài sú, bú shì hé nián qīng rén kàn.
    They think those movies have morally corrupting content and are unsuitable for young people.
  • ，伤风败俗。
    Zài gǔ dài, zhè yàng de yán lùn huì bèi shì wéi shāng fēng bài sú.
    In ancient times, such remarks would be regarded as morally outrageous.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

伤风harm morals
伤shāngharm风fēngcustoms
动宾Verb + object
败俗corrupt customs
败bàicorrupt俗súcustoms
动宾Verb + object

'伤' means harm and '败' corrupts, while '风' and '俗' refer to public customs and morals.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 傷; 伤 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
𥏻
𥏻𥏻傷shāng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 傷 shows 人, a person, and uses 𥏻 to give the sound; the simplified 伤 is a later shorthand.

Open 伤 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 风 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 敗; 败 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
攵Written in full as攴pūstrike
Sound part声符shēngfú
貝
貝bèi敗bài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 敗 has 貝 as the sound component and 攴 (written 攵) meaning strike. The simplified 败 is a later abbreviation, so its parts are not the original components.

Open 败 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
谷
谷gǔ俗sú
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

俗 is built from 亻, a person, and 谷, which gives the sound; it refers to customs of people.

Open 俗 →

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