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淫乱 (yín luàn) — promiscuous, licentious

Definition

A strong, formal/literary term meaning sexually immoral or promiscuous behavior. It is used in writing and serious contexts (news, literature, criticism), not in casual speech.

verb
promiscuouslicentious

Examples

  • 淫乱，。
    Tā de xíng wéi fēi cháng yín luàn, ràng rén wú fǎ jiē shòu.
    His behavior is very promiscuous, unacceptable to others.
  • ，淫乱。
    Zài gǔ dài gōng tíng zhōng, yín luàn de xiàn xiàng bìng bù shǎo jiàn.
    In ancient palaces, licentious phenomena were not uncommon.
  • 淫乱。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng yīn wèi nèi róng yín luàn ér bèi jìn bō.
    This film was banned because of its licentious content.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

淫yínlicentious
乱luàndisordered

淫 “licentious” and 乱 “disordered” combine to mean promiscuous or licentious.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
㸒
㸒㸒淫yín
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape combines 氵 (the water form of 水) with 㸒, which supplies the sound.

Open 淫 →

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 亂; 乱 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
乚Written in full as乙yǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
𤔔
𤔔𤔔亂luàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 亂 contains 𤔔, a drawing of combing tangled threads, and 乙; the simplified 乱 is only a later shorthand, not the historical shape.

Open 乱 →
Appears in
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