About
Structurally, 氓 combines 亡 (to flee or disappear) with 民 (people), forming an ideogramic compound that originally denote displaced populations. In early use, it specifically referred to commoners who had fled their hometowns to settle elsewhere, serving as a term for immigrants or vagrants. Over time, its meaning shifted from a neutral descriptor for displaced agrarian workers to a pejorative one. Today, it primarily appears in compounds like 流氓, meaning hooligan or ruffian, and has lost its original demographic neutrality.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
警察抓住了流氓。
那个流氓在街上闹事。
流氓的行为令人厌恶。
我们必须打击流氓活动。
他年轻时曾是个流氓。
社会不容许流氓势力蔓延。
尽管他曾是流氓，但现在改过自新了。
法律对流氓罪有明确的定义和处罚。