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浪荡 (làng dàng) — to loaf about, to wander aimlessly; to be dissolute, to lead a dissipated life

Definition

Carries a moral judgment — 'dissolute, dissipated' about a person's lifestyle, not just idleness. Stronger and more negative than merely wandering or loafing around.

verb
to loaf aboutto wander aimlesslyto be dissoluteto lead a dissipated life

Examples

  • 浪荡，。
    Tā měi tiān zài wài biān làng dàng, yě bù gōng zuò.
    He loafs about outside every day and doesn't work.
  • 浪荡，。
    Tā làng dàng le dà bàn shēng, zuì hòu zhōng yú ān dìng xià lái le.
    He idled away most of his life and finally settled down.
  • 浪荡，。
    Tā bú zài xiàng cóng qián nà yàng làng dàng le, kāi shǐ rèn zhēn gōng zuò.
    He no longer loafs about like before and starts working seriously.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

浪làngloiter
荡dàngwander

浪 and 荡 both suggest wandering or dissipation, so 浪荡 means loafing about or leading a dissipated life.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
良
良liáng浪làng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

浪 pairs 水 (water) with 良, which supplies the sound. The water part points to its meaning of waves.

Open 浪 →

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 蕩; 荡 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 荡 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words it is 蕩; in others it is 盪.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
艹Written in full as艸cǎo
Sound part声符shēngfú
湯
湯tāng蕩dàng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

About the traditional form 蕩: it is made of 艹 (grass, written fully as 艸) and 湯, which gives the sound. The simplified 荡 is only a later shorthand.

Open 荡 →
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