畸形

• Pinyin: jī xíng
• Hanzi breakdown: 畸 = 田 + 奇 (field + strange, irregular/odd-shaped); 形 = 开 + 彡 (open form + brush strokes, shape)

Meaning

Deformed; abnormal in shape or development; distorted. Describes physical malformation or, figuratively, an unhealthy, unbalanced social or economic state.

Used in medicine for physical deformities, and widely used figuratively to describe distorted social phenomena, abnormal economic structures, or unhealthy development patterns. 畸形发展 (distorted development) is a common collocation.

Examples

1. 长期不均衡的城乡发展导致了经济结构上的畸形，亟待政策层面的系统纠偏。 Long-term, unbalanced urban–rural development has distorted the economic structure, and it urgently needs systematic policy correction.
2. 产前医学检查发现该胎儿存在先天性肢体畸形，医生建议产后立即进行手术干预。 A prenatal medical exam found a congenital limb deformity in the fetus, and the doctor recommended surgical intervention immediately after birth.
3. 过度追求短期利润导致行业生态严重畸形，企业的长期创新能力因此受到根本性损害。 An excessive focus on short-term profits has badly warped the industry’s ecosystem, fundamentally damaging companies’ long-term capacity for innovation.

Usage Guide

Context: medicine, social criticism, economics

Tone: critical

Do Say

• 教育资源的严重不均等导致人才培养体系出现畸形，从根本上不利于社会的可持续发展。(The severe imbalance in educational resources has led to distortions in the talent cultivation system, which is fundamentally detrimental to sustainable social development.)
• 畸形的消费主义文化正在侵蚀年轻一代的价值观，社会各界对此深感忧虑并呼吁加以引导。(A distorted consumerist culture is eroding the values of the younger generation, causing widespread concern across society and calls for guidance.)

Don't Say

• 这个东西形状畸形 — in casual speech about odd-shaped objects, use 奇怪的形状 or 变形了; 畸形 sounds overly clinical or judgemental for everyday objects

Origin & History

畸 (odd/irregular) + 形 (shape/form)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal