Chinese word

腐朽

Pronunciation

Pinyinfǔ xiǔ

Meaning

  • verbdecay

Example

桥上的木板开始腐朽。qiáo shàng de mù bǎn kāi shǐ fú xiǔ

The wooden planks on the bridge are starting to decay.

Illustration for 腐朽 (decay)

More examples

旧房屋的梁柱慢慢腐朽，存在安全隐患。jiù fáng wū de liáng zhù màn màn fú xiǔ cún zài ān quán yǐn huàn

The beams and pillars of the old house are slowly decaying, creating a safety hazard.

Core concept

A hidden process gradually eats away at the inside until a material or established system can no longer hold together.

Common phrases

  • 开始腐朽kāi shǐ fú xiǔ

    begin to decay

  • 逐渐腐朽zhú jiàn fú xiǔ

    gradually decay

  • 木材腐朽mù cái fú xiǔ

    wood decay

Similar words

腐烂fǔ làn: Become soft and break apart as natural organic matter decomposes through microbial action.
腐坏fǔ huài: Deteriorate until an object or food no longer keeps its useful quality or structure.
变质biàn zhì: Become altered in quality or properties so that food or medicine loses safety or value.
腐蚀fǔ shí: Gradually dissolve or wear down a material's surface through chemicals or moisture, weakening it.

Definition in Chinese

指有机物或木质、建筑材料因微生物、潮湿或年久等原因在内部分解，逐渐失去原有形状和强度，也可比喻事物或制度随时间衰败。zhǐ yǒu jī wù huò mù zhì jiàn zhù cái liào yīn wēi shēng wù cháo shī huò nián jiú děng yuán yīn zài nèi bù fèn jiě zhú jiàn shī qù yuán yǒu xíng zhuàng hé qiáng dù yě kě bǐ yù shì wù huò zhì dù suí shí jiān shuāi bài

Word origin

The word joins 腐 (fǔ, "rot") + 朽 (xiǔ, "decay with age"), combining two traditional images of things losing their substance over time.

Usage tips

  • This word is useful in reports, books, and serious descriptions, but it sounds more formal than the wording commonly used in casual talk about old or damaged objects.

Other meanings

  • rotverb
  • become corruptverb

Opposites

  • 兴盛xīng shèngflourishverb

Related words

  • 腐朽化fú xiǔ huàdecaynoun
  • 腐朽不堪fú xiǔ bù kānbe utterly decayedidiom

Word lists with this word