Definition
愚昧 (yú mèi) describes ignorance with a strong sense of backwardness or being unenlightened, often used in social or cultural contexts (e.g., 'benighted views'). It is more loaded than 无知 (wú zhī, simply lacking knowledge) and focuses on lack of education/enlightenment rather than stupidity (愚蠢 yú chǔn, foolishness).
adjective
ignorantuneducatedbenighted (with a sense of backwardness or obscurantism)
Examples
- 愚昧。Tā nà zhǒng yú mèi de guāndiǎn zǎo jiù bèi kēxué tuīfān le.That benighted view of his was long ago overturned by science.
- 愚昧，。Zhǐyǒu bǎituō yú mèi, shèhuì cái néng zhēnzhèng jìnbù.Only by escaping ignorance can society truly progress.
- 愚昧。Nà ge shíqī de yú mèi fēngqì lìng rén tànxī.The benighted atmosphere of that period is lamentable.
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