污染 (wū rǎn) — to pollute, to contaminate (literal and figurat… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

污染 is to pollute or contaminate — a concrete verb used for air, water, and ideas (as in 思想污染). Unlike 染, which focuses on coloring or catching something, 污染 emphasizes damage or corruption already done.

verb

to polluteto contaminate (literal and figurative)

Examples

污染。
Kōng qì wū rǎn hěn nán jiě jué.
Air pollution is hard to solve.
。
Gōng chǎng de zāng shuǐ wū rǎn le zhè tiáo hé.
The dirty water from the factory polluted this river.
污染。
Zhè zhǒng sī xiǎng wū rǎn le nián qīng rén de xīn líng.
This kind of thinking contaminates young people's minds.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

污 (dirty) and 染 (stain) together mean to pollute or contaminate.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 汙; 污 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

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.

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

氵九木染

氵水shuǐwater
九九jiǔhook
木木mùtree

染 combines 氵 (water), 九 (hook), and 木 (tree): something hung on a hook from a tree into water to dye it.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 4 HSK 2.0 Level 4 Environment & Ecology 5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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