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落水 (luò shuǐ) — to fall into the water; (figurative) to sink into (a bad state), to go astray; (euphemistic) to become a prostitute

Definition

Literally 'to fall into water.' Figuratively means sinking into corruption or a degraded state — a strong, somewhat literary image of moral downfall.

verb
to fall into the water(figurative) to sink into (a bad state)to go astray(euphemistic) to become a prostitute

Examples

  • ，。
    Tā bù xiǎo xīn luò le shuǐ, xìng hǎo bèi jiù qǐ lái le.
    He accidentally fell into the water, but luckily he was rescued.
  • ，。
    Tā luò le shuǐ, zǒu shàng le fàn zuì de dào lù.
    He went astray and took the path of crime.
  • 落水。
    Hěn duō rén zài yòu huò miàn qián qīng yì luò shuǐ le.
    Many people easily sink into bad states in the face of temptation.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

落luòfall
水shuǐwater

落 means fall, and 水 means water; together they describe falling into water or sinking into a bad state.

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cǎo
Sound part声符shēngfú
洛
洛luò落luò
Same sound today

落 pairs 艹 with 洛; 洛 gives the sound, and 艹 relates to the meaning.

Open 落 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

水 is a simple drawing of water flowing.

Open 水 →
Appears in
Safety & Danger

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