Definition
糜烂 is a strong verb that literally means 'to rot' or 'to decay', but in modern Chinese it's most often used figuratively to describe moral decay, corruption, or a dissolute lifestyle. You'll see it in news reports about official corruption (生活糜烂 'dissolute lifestyle') and in medical contexts for skin erosion (胃糜烂). The figurative sense is much more common than the literal one.
v
to be morally corruptto live a dissolute lifeto rotto decay (literal)(medical) to erode (of tissue)
Examples
- 糜烂。Zhè wèi guānyuán yīn shēnghuó mí làn bèi diàochá.This official is under investigation for living a dissolute lifestyle.
- 糜烂。Chángqī yǐnjiǔ huì dǎozhì wèiniánmó mí làn.Long-term drinking can cause gastric mucosal erosion.
- 糜烂，。Nà ge wángcháo mòqī zhèngzhì mí làn, mín bù liáo shēng.In the late period of that dynasty, politics was corrupt and the people had no means of living.
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