肮

骯

āng

亢 + 月

Definitions

āng used in 骯髒|肮脏[āng zāng]

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. ⺼ represents the meaning and 亢 represents the sound. Simplified form of 骯.

Semantic: ⺼ Phonetic: 亢

About

肮 is a phono-semantic compound: the left radical ⺼ (月) means 'flesh' and points to a bodily context, while the right component 亢 gives the sound. This character is the simplified form of the traditional 骯, which uses the bone radical 骨 and originally referred to a thick, stiff neck. When simplified, the bone radical was replaced by the flesh radical. The original anatomical meaning fell out of use entirely, and today 肮 appears only in the compound 肮脏, meaning physically filthy, unsanitary, or morally corrupt.

Etymology Hide

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这个地方很肮脏。

Zhège dìfāng hěn āngzāng.

This place is very dirty.

他的衣服很肮脏。

Tā de yīfu hěn āngzāng.

His clothes are very dirty.

孩子们玩得浑身肮脏。

Háizimen wán de húnshēn āngzāng.

The children played until they were dirty all over.

这个房间比那个房间肮脏。

Zhège fángjiān bǐ nàgè fángjiān āngzāng.

This room is dirtier than that room.

因为下雨，道路变得肮脏。

Yīnwèi xià yǔ, dàolù biàn de āngzāng.

Because it rained, the road became dirty.

请不要把垃圾扔在肮脏的地方。

Qǐng bùyào bǎ lājī rēng zài āngzāng de dìfāng.

Please do not throw garbage in dirty places.

虽然这个地方很肮脏，但我们可以清理它。

Suīrán zhège dìfāng hěn āngzāng, dàn wǒmen kěyǐ qīnglǐ tā.

Although this place is very dirty, we can clean it.

政治斗争往往充满了肮脏的手段。

Zhèngzhì dòuzhēng wǎngwǎng chōngmǎn le āngzāng de shǒuduàn.

Political struggles are often filled with dirty tactics.

Related Characters

Component: 亢

Component: 月

肮