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侵蚀 (qīn shí) — to erode, to corrode; to siphon off (funds), to encroach upon (rights, interests)

Definition

A more formal, written verb meaning 'to erode' — both physically (rain wearing away stone) and figuratively (corruption eroding credibility or funds). More literary than the everyday 腐蚀.

verb
to erodeto corrodeto siphon off (funds)to encroach upon (rights, interests)

Examples

  • 侵蚀。
    Yǔ shuǐ bú duàn qīn shí zhe gǔ lǎo de chéng qiáng.
    Rainwater continuously erodes the ancient city wall.
  • 侵蚀。
    Fǔ bài xíng wéi yán zhòng qīn shí le zhèng fǔ de gōng xìn lì.
    Corrupt practices have severely eroded the government's credibility.
  • 侵蚀。
    Tā men tōng guò xū jiǎ hé tong qīn shí gōng sī zī jīn.
    They siphoned off company funds through fake contracts.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

侵qīnencroach
蚀shícorrode

The 侵 'encroach' and 蚀 'corrode' combine to mean gradual wearing away.

Characters in this word

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

侵 combines 人 (person), 帚 (broom), and 又 (hand) into the image of a person with a broom in hand.

Open 侵 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 蚀 →
Appears in
Environment & Ecology

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