Meanings of 秽
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Podcast: 秽
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AI Study Notes for 秽
污 (wū) — use 秽 (huì) for moral impurity or obscenity, while 污 (wū) focuses on physical dirtiness.
Be cautious with the usage of 秽 as it can carry strong negative connotations, particularly when referring to moral or ethical issues. It is typically used in a more formal or literary context rather than in everyday conversation. Common collocations include 秽行 (huìxíng, immoral actions) and 秽土 (huìtǔ, dirty soil).
While 秽 is not included in the HSK vocabulary lists, it can be related to other HSK words that describe cleanliness or morality, such as 干净 (gānjìng, clean) or 正直 (zhèngzhí, upright). Students should focus on understanding the contrasts between clean and dirty, pure and impure.
Learners often confuse 秽 with other characters like 脏 (zāng, dirty) without recognizing the moral aspect of 秽. For example, saying '这是很秽' (Zhè shì hěn huì) is incorrect; it should be '这是很脏' (Zhè shì hěn zāng) for a physical dirt context.
Pronunciation of 秽
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Etymology of 秽
Phonosemantic compound. 禾 represents the meaning and 岁 represents the sound. Simplified form of 穢.
grain
Origin
秽 = 禾 + 岁. What kind of character does that make it?
Decomposition of 秽
Parts
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How to say dirty, unclean; immoral, obscene in Chinese
“dirty, unclean; immoral, obscene” in Chinese is秽
The character 秽 (huì) refers to something that is dirty or unclean, both in a physical sense, such as dirt or filth, and in a moral sense, indicating obscenity or immorality. It is often used to describe not only physical conditions but also concepts that are considered impure or corrupt.
When to use 秽
Be cautious with the usage of 秽 as it can carry strong negative connotations, particularly when referring to moral or ethical issues. It is typically used in a more formal or literary context rather than in everyday conversation. Common collocations include 秽行 (huìxíng, immoral actions) and 秽土 (huìtǔ, dirty soil).
秽 or something close to it
污 (wū) — use 秽 (huì) for moral impurity or obscenity, while 污 (wū) focuses on physical dirtiness.
What learners get wrong
Learners often confuse 秽 with other characters like 脏 (zāng, dirty) without recognizing the moral aspect of 秽. For example, saying '这是很秽' (Zhè shì hěn huì) is incorrect; it should be '这是很脏' (Zhè shì hěn zāng) for a physical dirt context.
Write 秽
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Practice writing 秽 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.
Grammar Patterns of 秽
秽 functions as a noun — it names a person, place, thing, or concept. Place it as a subject before the verb (主+谓) or as an object after the verb (谓+宾). Most Chinese nouns require a measure word between the number and the noun (e.g. 一个/三本). It carries 3 related meanings, each with its own usage notes below. The example sentences below show it in action, with practice buttons (Listen, Practice Writing, Practice Speaking) on every line.
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Example Sentences for 秽 (3)
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Word Family of 秽
Words with 秽
What does 淫秽 mean?
Frequently Asked Questions about 秽
Synonyms include 脏 (zāng, dirty) and 污秽 (wūhuì, filth), but 秽 carries a stronger moral implication.
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