Definitions

duò (verb) to fall; to degenerate

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Simplified form of .

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The traditional character 墮 is a phono-semantic compound: the bottom component 土 (earth) provides the semantic sense of falling or descending to the ground, while the upper component 隋 functions as the phonetic element. In its simplified form, 堕, the structure changes to include the mound radical 阝 on the left with a modified phonetic part, yet it retains associations with earth and downward motion. Its earliest meanings referred to the physical act of falling or collapsing from a height onto the ground. This concrete action later extended metaphorically to describe moral or social deterioration, so modern usage often conveys sinking into a degraded state, losing virtuous standing, or experiencing a decline in personal or societal circumstances.

Example Sentences Hide

入了深深的绝望。

Tā duò rù le shēnshēn de juéwàng.

He fell into deep despair.

那个曾经的优等生开始落了。

Nàgè céngjīng de yōuděngshēng kāishǐ duòluò le.

That former top student has begun to degenerate.

要小心,别从楼梯上下来。

Yào xiǎoxīn, bié cóng lóutī shàng duò xiàlái.

Be careful not to fall down the stairs.

这种思想有使人落的危险。

Zhè zhǒng sīxiǎng yǒu shǐ rén duòluò de wēixiǎn.

This kind of thinking carries the danger of corrupting people.

她为自己的落感到羞愧不已。

Tā wèi zìjǐ de duòluò gǎndào xiūkuì bùyǐ.

She felt immense shame for her own degeneration.

历史的尘埃中,多少帝国悄然落。

Lìshǐ de chén'āi zhōng, duōshǎo dìguó qiāorán duòluò.

In the dust of history, how many empires quietly fell into decline.

该项目因资金问题而中途废。

Gāi xiàngmù yīn zījīn wèntí ér zhōngtú duòfèi.

The project was abandoned midway due to funding issues.

那次马事故终结了他的骑士生涯。

Nà cì duò mǎ shìgù zhōngjié le tā de qíshì shēngyá.

That fall from a horse accident ended his knightly career.