Definition
瘟 (wēn) is a bound form (b.f.), not an independent word. You'll find it as a root in compounds related to plague and epidemic disease, such as 瘟疫 (wēnyì 'plague') and 瘟神 (wēnshén 'god of plague'). When applied to animals, it specifies acute communicable diseases (鸡瘟 'fowl plague'). In traditional opera, 瘟 has a metaphorical sense describing a performance that is dull, flat, and lacks energy.
b.f.
plagueepidemic(of animals) to catch an acute communicable disease(of traditional opera) dull and insipid (a performance quality)
Examples
- 。Lìshǐ shàng duō cì wēn yì duó zǒu le wúshù shēngmìng.Plagues throughout history have taken countless lives.
- 瘟。Qùnián bàofā de zhū wēn ràng yǎngzhíhù sǔnshī cǎnzhòng.The swine fever outbreak last year caused heavy losses for farmers.
- 瘟，。Zhè chū xì shì chū wēn xì，guānzhòng fǎnyìng lěngdàn.This opera is a dull one; the audience's response was cold.
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