Definitions
About
The character 烂, whose traditional form is 爛, originates from the semantic-phonetic compound structure where the fire radical 火 indicates its early association with the effect of heat, while 蘭 (lán, orchid) originally served as a phonetic component. Its core historical meaning, emerging from the concept of being softened or broken down by cooking or fire, was "thoroughly cooked" or "thoroughly softened". From this core, the meaning naturally extended to denote a state of decomposition or disintegration, leading to its primary modern senses of "rotten", "decayed", "worn-out", or, in a figurative sense, "messy" or "sloppy". In the simplified form 烂, the phonetic component was replaced with 兰 (lán), a simplified form of 蘭, which maintains the phonetic function while streamlining the character's structure.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
水果已经腐烂了。
阳光灿烂的日子。
孩子们天真烂漫。
他把课文背得烂熟。
路上全是烂泥。
他留下了一个烂摊子。
他昨晚喝得烂醉。
那个工程烂尾了。