Definitions
About
The character 烂, whose traditional form is 爛, originated from a semantic association with the element of fire, as seen in its component 火 on the left in the traditional version, combined with 闌 (lán), which originally suggested a barrier or something reaching its limit. This composition initially conveyed a meaning of being brilliantly illuminated or thoroughly cooked, implying a state brought to completion by heat. Over time, this concept of being thoroughly affected by a process, in this case, the transformative and consuming nature of fire, extended metaphorically to describe physical decay and decomposition, as in something becoming soft, mushy, or rotten from over-ripeness or spoilage. This semantic shift from a positive state of radiance or doneness to a negative state of deterioration further broadened to describe things of extremely poor quality, utter failure, or a person's morally corrupt character, completing its journey from a descriptor of a condition achieved by elemental force to one denoting breakdown and inferiority.
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。