adjective (bound morpheme) HSK 5
Traditional 骯
dirty · filthy
Meaning
This character typically appears as part of the word 肮脏 (āngzāng), meaning dirty or filthy. It is rarely used alone in modern Mandarin and functions as a bound morpheme. The character conveys a sense of physical dirtiness or moral corruption.
Usage
In contemporary Mandarin, 肮 is almost exclusively used in the compound 肮脏. It's considered more formal or literary than casual spoken alternatives like 脏 alone. Native speakers primarily encounter this character in written contexts or when emphasizing extreme dirtiness.
Examples
- 01这条街道非常肮脏，到处都是垃圾。, .This street is very dirty, with garbage everywhere.
- 02他们用肮脏的手段获得了利益。.They obtained benefits through dirty means.
Common collocations
- 肮脏dirty, filthy (most common usage)
Antonyms
Origin
The traditional form 骯 contains the flesh/meat radical 月, suggesting something unclean or impure related to physical matter. The simplified form 肮 maintains this radical.