Definitions

làng (noun) wave; breaker
làng (adjective) unrestrained; wasteful; dissipated
làng (verb) to wander; to roam

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "浪" is structured as a phono-semantic compound with the water radical (氵) indicating its association with aquatic concepts and the component "良" providing phonetic guidance, originally referring specifically to water waves. Over time, its semantic range expanded beyond physical waves to encompass notions of unrestrained movement or behavior, leading to derived meanings such as wastefulness in "浪费" and dissoluteness in "浪荡", while still retaining its core aquatic reference in compounds like "波浪". This evolution reflects a shift from a concrete natural phenomenon to abstract human actions characterized by excess or fluidity.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

今天的海很大。

Jīntiān de hǎilàng hěn dà.

Today's ocean waves are very big.

他喜欢看花。

Tā xǐhuān kàn lànghuā.

He likes to watch the wave foam.

不要费食物。

Bùyào làngfèi shíwù.

Do not waste food.

费时间是错误的。

Làngfèi shíjiān shì cuòwù de.

Wasting time is wrong.

他们的爱情很漫。

Tāmen de àiqíng hěn làngmàn.

Their love is very romantic.

拍打着岩石。

Hǎilàng pāidǎzhe yánshí.

The waves are beating against the rocks.

虽然海很大,但他还是去游泳了。

Suīrán hǎilàng hěn dà, dàn tā háishì qù yóuyǒng le.

Although the waves were big, he still went swimming.

费了无数机会,现在后悔莫及。

Tā làngfèi le wúshù jīhuì, xiànzài hòuhuǐ mòjí.

He wasted countless opportunities and now regrets it deeply.