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同流合污 (tóng liú hé wū) — to associate with evil people and do bad things; to stoop to the level of one's corrupt associates

Definition

A chengyu meaning to go along with corrupt people and share in their wrongdoing — losing one's own moral standards by association. Always negative, describing a deliberate (not forced) compromise.

idiom
to associate with evil people and do bad thingsto stoop to the level of one's corrupt associates

Examples

  • ，同流合污。
    Tā wèi le míng lì, jìng rán hé nà xiē tān guān tóng liú hé wū.
    For fame and profit, he actually associates with those corrupt officials.
  • ，同流合污。
    Zuò wéi zhī shi fèn zǐ, jué bù néng yǔ shè huì bù liáng fēng qì tóng liú hé wū.
    As intellectuals, we must never wallow in the mire with society's bad trends.
  • ，同流合污。
    Tā jiān shǒu yuán zé, jù jué yǔ nà xiē xiǎo rén tóng liú hé wū.
    He sticks to his principles and refuses to associate with those despicable people.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

同流agree with the stream
同tóngagree with流liústream
动宾Verb + object
合污join with filth
合héjoin污wūfilth
动宾Verb + object

To 同 with the 流 and 合 with the 污 is to follow corrupt ways.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

同 originally drew a pipe. It is the old form of 筒.

Open 同 →

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
㐬
㐬㐬流liú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

流 has 水, water, and 㐬, which gives the sound. The water part matches meanings such as flow.

Open 流 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

合 shows 亼 and 口 arranged as two mouths speaking together.

Open 合 →

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 汙; 污 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
于
于yú汙wū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 汙 pairs 水 (water) with 于 for the sound; the simplified 污 is a later shorthand.

Open 污 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set Phrases

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