糜

mí, méi

米 + 麻

Definitions

mí surname Mi

méi millet

mí rice gruel; rotten; to waste (money)

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 米 represents the meaning and 麻 represents the sound.

Semantic: 米 Phonetic: 麻

About

糜 (mí) is a phonosemantic compound: 米 (mǐ), the semantic component, represents rice or grain, and 麻 (má) provides the sound (its own original meaning is hemp). The character originally referred to a thick rice gruel boiled until the grains completely broke down into a paste. From this core idea of disintegration, it extended to describe things that are ruined, decayed, or utterly destroyed, and later to wastefulness and dissipation. Common modern compounds include 糜烂 (rotten, corrupted) and 糜费 (extravagant waste).

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

不要吃糜烂的食物。

Bùyào chī mílàn de shíwù.

Do not eat rotten food.

早晨我喜欢喝粥糜。

Zǎochén wǒ xǐhuān hē zhōumí.

In the morning, I like to drink porridge.

他经常糜费钱财。

Tā jīngcháng mífèi qiáncái.

He often wastes money.

糜子是一种常见的谷物。

Méizi shì yī zhǒng chángjiàn de gǔwù.

Broomcorn millet is a common grain.

奢侈的生活容易导致糜烂。

Shēchǐ de shēnghuó róngyì dǎozhì mílàn.

A luxurious life can easily lead to decadence.

公司因管理不善而糜费严重。

Gōngsī yīn guǎnlǐ bù shàn ér mífèi yánzhòng.

The company wastes seriously due to poor management.

虽然糜子产量高，但需要精细加工。

Suīrán méizi chǎnliàng gāo, dàn xūyào jīngxì jiāgōng.

Although broomcorn millet has high yield, it requires fine processing.

在微生物的作用下，有机物质逐渐糜烂分解。

Zài wēishēngwù de zuòyòng xià, yǒujī wùzhì zhújiàn mílàn fēnjiě.

Under the action of microorganisms, organic matter gradually rots and decomposes.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 米

Component: 麻

糜