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沉沦 (chén lún) — to sink into (vice, depravity, degradation); to degenerate

Definition

Literary verb for sinking into vice, depravity, or self-destructive habits — passive and gradual, with no way back. Far stronger and more formal than 堕落, which is the everyday word for 'to degenerate'.

verb
to sink into (vice, depravity, degradation)to degenerate

Examples

  • 沉沦。
    Tā yīn dǔ bó ér zhú jiàn chén lún.
    He gradually sank into depravity because of gambling.
  • ，沉沦。
    Zài nà ge hēi àn de shí dài, xǔ duō rén chén lún yú xiǎng lè.
    In that dark era, many people sank into hedonism.
  • 沉沦，。
    Tā chén lún zài jiǔ jīng zhōng, wú fǎ zì bá.
    He sank into alcohol and couldn't pull himself out.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

沉chénsink
沦lúnfall

"沉" and "沦" both express sinking or falling, so together they mean to sink into degradation.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 沉 →

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 淪; 沦 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
侖
侖lún淪lún
Same sound today

The traditional form 淪 has 水 for water and 侖 for the sound lún; the simplified 沦 is a shorthand.

Open 沦 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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