Definition
凋零 literally describes flowers or leaves withering and falling off, but it is often used figuratively for anything that declines, decays, or dies out—like a society, economy, career, or even a person's life. It's a literary, melancholic verb; you wouldn't use it for casual everyday wilting (use 枯萎 instead). In figurative use it carries a sense of gradual, irreversible decline.
v.p.
(of plants) to wither and fall(figurative) to declineto be on the waneto die out
Examples
- ，凋零。Qiūfēng yì chuī, huābàn fēnfēn diāo líng.When the autumn wind blows, the petals wither and fall one after another.
- 凋零。Zhège gǔlǎo de wénmíng yǐjīng diāo líng le.This ancient civilization has already declined.
- ，凋零，。Niánqīng shí nàme fēngguāng, wǎnnián què rúcǐ diāo líng, lìng rén gǎnkǎi.He was so glamorous when young, yet in his later years he withered away like this—it's really moving.
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