堕

墮
duò
土 + 陏

Definitions

duò (verb) to fall; to degenerate

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 土 represents the meaning and 陏 represents the sound. Simplified form of 墮.

Semantic: 土 Phonetic: 陏

About

堕 is the simplified form of the traditional character 墮. It is a phonosemantic compound: 土 (earth) represents the meaning, and 陏 indicates the sound. In the traditional form, 土 sits at the bottom, directly suggesting falling to the ground, while 隋 provides the pronunciation. The simplified 堕 replaces 土 with the left-side mound radical 阝, which also signifies earth, and uses the simplified phonetic 陏. The character's original sense was a physical fall or collapse from a height. Over time, this expanded to describe moral or social decline, conveying a loss of virtue or a downward spiral in personal or societal conditions.

Example Sentences Hide

他堕入了深深的绝望。

Tā duò rù le shēnshēn de juéwàng.

He fell into deep despair.

那个曾经的优等生开始堕落了。

Nàgè céngjīng de yōuděngshēng kāishǐ duòluò le.

That former top student has begun to degenerate.

要小心，别从楼梯上堕下来。

Yào xiǎoxīn, bié cóng lóutī shàng duò xiàlái.

Be careful not to fall down the stairs.

这种思想有使人堕落的危险。

Zhè zhǒng sīxiǎng yǒu shǐ rén duòluò de wēixiǎn.

This kind of thinking carries the danger of corrupting people.

她为自己的堕落感到羞愧不已。

Tā wèi zìjǐ de duòluò gǎndào xiūkuì bùyǐ.

She felt immense shame for her own degeneration.

历史的尘埃中，多少帝国悄然堕落。

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堕废。

Gāi xiàngmù yīn zījīn wèntí ér zhōngtú duòfèi.

The project was abandoned midway due to funding issues.

那次堕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.

Related Characters

Component: 土

在 地 去 主 走 场 至 社 基 王 城 增 型 境

Component: 陏

椭

Example Words

堕落 堕胎 堕楼 自甘堕落