末世 (mò shì) — the last phase of an era; end times; apocalypse

Definition

末世 means 'the end of an era / last phase of an age,' often with a biblical or apocalyptic tone (as in religious end-times prophecies). 末 simply means 'end'; 世 means 'generation, world, era.'

noun
the last phase of an eraend timesapocalypse

Examples

  • 末世。
    Xǔ duō zōng jiào dōu yù yán le mò shì de dào lái.
    Many religions have predicted the arrival of the end times.
  • 末世。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng miáo huì le mò shì shì jiè de cán kù jǐng xiàng.
    This movie depicts the cruel scene of a post-apocalyptic world.
  • 末世,。
    Zài nà ge wáng cháo de mò shì, shè huì dòng dàng bù ān.
    In the last phase of that dynasty, society was unstable.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

末mòend/last

末 marks the end of a 世, giving the final era.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

末 adds a mark at the top of a tree-like shape to show its tip or end.

Open 末 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 世 →
Appears in

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