荒淫 (huāng yín) — dissolute, licentious (of a person's lifestyle, especially in formal or literary contexts)

Definition

A literary adjective-verb for extreme sexual and lifestyle indulgence ('dissolute, debauched') — used in formal writing about historical figures like emperors and aristocrats, not everyday speech.

verb
dissolutelicentious (of a person's lifestyle, especially in formal or literary contexts)

Examples

  • 荒淫，。
    Zhè wèi huáng dì huāng yín wú dù, zuì zhōng dǎo zhì le guó jiā de miè wáng.
    This emperor was dissolute without measure, ultimately leading to the downfall of the country.
  • 荒淫。
    Xiǎo shuō zhōng miáo xiě le yí gè huāng yín shē chǐ de guì zú shēng huó.
    The novel depicts a dissolute and extravagant aristocratic life.
  • 荒淫。
    Lì shǐ shàng duì huāng yín jūn zhǔ de pī píng wǎng wǎng fēi cháng yán lì.
    Historical criticism of licentious monarchs is often very harsh.

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.

荒huāngdissolute
淫yínlicentious

荒 suggests wild dissolute living and 淫 suggests licentious excess, together describing debauchery.

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
艹Written in full as艸cǎograss, plant
Sound part声符shēngfú
巟
巟huāng荒huāng
Same sound today

荒 is built from 艹 (grass, plant) and 巟, with 巟 giving the sound huāng.

Open 荒 →

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
㸒
㸒㸒淫yín
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape combines 氵 (the water form of 水) with 㸒, which supplies the sound.

Open 淫 →

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