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糜烂 (mí làn) — to be morally corrupt, to live a dissolute life; to rot, to decay (literal); (medical) to erode (of tissue)

Definition

A vivid verb meaning 'rotted, decayed' — used literally for tissue and food, and figuratively for moral or political corruption (e.g. 生活糜烂, 政治糜烂). At HSK 7, it is a literary, written word, stronger and more graphic than the everyday 腐败.

verb
to be morally corruptto live a dissolute lifeto rotto decay (literal)(medical) to erode (of tissue)

Examples

  • 糜烂。
    Zhè wèi guān yuán yīn shēng huó mí làn bèi diào chá.
    This official is under investigation for living a dissolute lifestyle.
  • 糜烂。
    Cháng qī yǐn jiǔ huì dǎo zhì wèi nián mó mí làn.
    Long-term drinking can cause gastric mucosal erosion.
  • 糜烂，。
    Nà ge wáng cháo mò qī zhèng zhì mí làn, mín bù liáo shēng.
    In the late period of that dynasty, politics was corrupt and the people had no means of living.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

糜mímushy/rotten
烂làndecayed

糜 'mushy/rotten' and 烂 'decayed' reinforce rotting or moral decay.

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
麻
麻má糜mí
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

糜 pairs 米 (rice) with 麻, which gives the sound. The 米 part marks the character as related to rice or grain foods.

Open 糜 →

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 爛; 烂 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
火火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
闌
闌lán爛làn
Same sound today

The form 爛 pairs 火 (fire) with 闌 as the sound part; this explains 爛, not the simplified 烂.

Open 烂 →
Appears in
Illness & Symptoms

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