Definitions

zhuó turbid; muddy; impure

Etymology

A pond  growing scum 

About

The character "浊" derives from the traditional form "濁", which is structured with the water radical (氵) on the left and the component "蜀" on the right, originally signaling both meaning and sound related to muddy water. In its simplified iteration, the right side is replaced by "虫", a component that also functions phonetically. The character's primary meaning centered on the physical quality of turbidity in liquids, but over time its usage expanded to describe abstract states of impurity, such as in moral or intellectual contexts, thereby extending its application from concrete descriptions to metaphorical ones.

Etymology Hide

Bronze etymology image
Bronze Early Warring States (~400 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Wu (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这条小河很浑

Zhè tiáo xiǎo hé hěn húnzhuó.

This small river is very muddy.

工厂排放的废水污染了河水,使它变得浑

Gōngchǎng páifàng de fèishuǐ wūrǎn le héshuǐ, shǐ tā biàn de húnzhuó.

The wastewater discharged from the factory polluted the river, making it turbid.

经过沉淀,水中的物慢慢沉到了底部。

Jīngguò chéndiàn, shuǐ zhōng de zhuó wù mànmàn chén dàole dǐbù.

After sedimentation, the impurities in the water slowly sank to the bottom.

他的声音有些浑不清,可能感冒了。

Tā de shēngyīn yǒuxiē húnzhuó bù qīng, kěnéng gǎnmào le.

His voice is somewhat hoarse and unclear; he might have caught a cold.

在语言学中,辅音需要声带振动。

Zài yǔyán xué zhōng, zhuó fǔyīn xūyào shēngdài zhèndòng.

In linguistics, voiced consonants require vocal cord vibration.

持续的雾霾让城市的空气显得更加污

Chíxù de wùmái ràng chéngshì de kōngqì xiǎndé gèngjiā wūzhuó.

The persistent smog made the city's air appear even more filthy.

他的理论清分明,很有说服力。

Tā de lǐlùn qīng zhuó fēnmíng, hěn yǒu shuōfúlì.

His theory clearly distinguishes between right and wrong, and is very persuasive.

艺术家用浑的色调表现人物内心的矛盾。

Yìshùjiā yòng húnzhuó de sèdiào biǎoxiàn rénwù nèixīn de máodùn.

The artist used murky tones to express the inner contradictions of the character.