粗制滥造 (cū zhì làn zào) — badly made, shoddy, slipshod (of products, work, writing, etc.)

Definition

A strong negative idiom meaning 'crudely made and sloppily produced' — used to sharply criticize poor-quality work, products, or writing. It is more emphatic and literary than everyday words like 不好.

idiom
badly madeshoddyslipshod (of products, work, writing, etc.)

Examples

  • 粗制滥造。
    Zhè xiē cū zhì làn zào de chǎn pǐn hěn kuài jiù huài le.
    These shoddily made products broke quickly.
  • 粗制滥造，。
    Nà bù diàn yǐng pāi dé cū zhì làn zào, guān zhòng hěn bù mǎn yì.
    That movie was made carelessly, and the audience was very dissatisfied.
  • 粗制滥造，。
    Tā xiě wén zhāng cóng bù cū zhì làn zào, měi piān dōu rèn zhēn xiū gǎi.
    He never writes articles in a slipshod way; he revises every one carefully.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

粗制rough make
粗cūrough制zhìmake
偏正Modifier + head
滥造indiscriminate make
滥lànindiscriminate造zàomake
偏正Modifier + head

粗 rough and 滥 indiscriminate apply to 制 and 造 make, giving slipshod manufacture.

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
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
且
且qiě粗cū
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

粗 pairs 米 (rice), which points to its meaning, with 且, which gives a clue to its sound.

Open 粗 →

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

The form 制 pairs 朱 (tree) with 刀 (knife), showing the act of cutting a tree.

Open 制 →

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 濫; 滥 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
監
監jiān濫làn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 濫 pairs 水, water, with 監 to give the sound; the simplified 滥 is a later shorthand.

Open 滥 →

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
辵辵chuòto walk
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
屮
屮chè造zào
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Its origin is unclear, but early forms of 造 include 辵 (to walk) and 口, with 屮 as a sound part, and mean go or arrive.

Open 造 →

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