Definition
尘埃 literally means 'dust' but is used in formal or literary contexts more often than the everyday 灰尘. In addition to the physical sense, it appears in the common chengyu 尘埃落定 ('the dust settles', meaning a situation finally becomes clear or stable). You can also find it in poetic or philosophical writing to refer to worldly trifles or the triviality of mortal life.
n.
dust (in a literary or formal register)(figurative) worldly concernstrivial matters
Examples
- ，尘埃。Yángguāng zhào jìnlái, kěyǐ kànjiàn kōngqì zhōng piāofú de chén āi.When the sunlight shines in, you can see the dust floating in the air.
- ，。Zhè jiàn shì nào le jǐ gè yuè, zhōngyú chén āi luòdìng le.This matter had been going on for months and finally came to a resolution.
- 尘埃，。Tā bú yuàn wéi shìsú chén āi suǒ lèi, yìxīn zhuīqiú yìshù.He doesn't want to be burdened by worldly dust, devoting himself entirely to art.
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