Definition
烂 (làn) describes something that has decayed or deteriorated to a soft, mushy state (food), or is worn out to the point of falling apart (objects), or a situation that is a complete mess. It is more specific than 坏 (huài 'broken/spoiled'), which is a general term for anything not working or gone bad, and 破 (pò 'torn/damaged'), which focuses on physical tears or breaks rather than soft decay.
adjective
(of food) rottenspoiledor overcooked to a soft consistency(of objects) worn outtatteredfalling apart(of situations, quality) messychaoticlousy
Easily confused
- 栏lánlook-alikefence; railing; barrier
- 蓝lánsound-alikeblue
- 拦lánlook-aliketo block, to obstruct, to flag down (a vehicle)
- 懒lǎnsound-alikelazy
- 揽lǎnsound-aliketo embrace, to take into one's arms
Examples
- 烂，。Zhèxiē shuǐguǒ dōu làn le, bù néng chī le.These fruits have all gone bad—can't eat them.
- 烂，。Tā de yīfu chuān de dōu làn le, hái bù shěde rēng.His clothes are worn out, but he still can't bear to throw them away.
- 烂，。Zhège fāng'àn tài làn le, děi chóng zuò.This plan is too lousy; we have to redo it.
Browse more HSK 6 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.