混浊

• Pinyin: hùn zhuó
• Hanzi breakdown: 混 = 氵+ 昆 (water radical + blend, murky); 浊 = 氵+ 虫 (water radical + insect/creature, suggesting contamination — the presence of living organisms in water indicating turbidity)

Meaning

Turbid; murky or cloudy; not clear or pure. Describes liquids or air that are polluted or opaque, and figuratively, a morally corrupt or chaotic environment.

混浊 describes physical opacity or impurity in substances such as water or air, and figuratively describes a morally corrupt or chaotic social environment. Common collocations include 混浊的河水 (turbid river water), 空气混浊 (murky air), and 混浊的政治环境 (a corrupt political environment). It carries a stronger connotation of contamination than 清澈 (clear) or 纯净 (pure) as its antonyms.

Examples

1. 工厂排放的废水使下游河流变得混浊不堪，严重威胁了沿岸居民的日常饮用水安全。 Wastewater discharged by the factory turned the downstream river murky, seriously threatening the drinking water safety of residents along the banks.
2. 城市高峰时段的空气十分混浊，能见度极低，呼吸道疾病的发病率也随之明显上升。 During rush hour, the city’s air is extremely hazy, visibility is very low, and rates of respiratory illness rise noticeably.
3. 在那段混浊的历史时期，许多正直的知识分子选择隐居山林，以保持内心的清白与宁静。 In that murky period of history, many upright intellectuals chose to live in seclusion in the mountains to keep their minds clear and at peace.

Usage Guide

Context: environment, pollution, description, literature

Tone: negative

Do Say

• 监测数据显示，该城市地表水的混浊程度已超过国家饮用水标准上限，相关部门正在加紧实施净化工程，力争在年内将水质恢复至达标水平。(Monitoring data shows that the turbidity of the city's surface water has exceeded the upper limit of national drinking water standards; relevant departments are urgently implementing purification projects, striving to restore water quality to compliant levels within the year.)
• 作家在小说中以混浊的沼泽地作为核心意象，描绘出主人公在道德败坏、是非颠倒的社会环境中挣扎求存的艰难处境。(The author uses the image of a turbid swamp as a central motif in the novel to depict the protagonist's arduous struggle for survival in a morally corrupt social environment where right and wrong are inverted.)

Don't Say

• 混浊 for intentionally dyed or tinted liquids — the term implies unwanted contamination; use 有色 or 染色 for deliberately colored liquids

Origin & History

混 (mix/murky) + 浊 (turbid/muddy) — a compound of two characters both meaning murky or turbid, particularly in relation to water; emphasises contamination and lack of clarity

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal