没落

• Pinyin: mò luò
• Hanzi breakdown: 没 = 氵(water) + 殳(strike, phonetic); 落 = 艹(grass) + 洛(phonetic) — things falling like leaves

Meaning

To decline in power, influence, or status; to fall into decay or obscurity.

Used to describe the gradual and irreversible decline of civilisations, social classes, industries, or individuals. Frequently used in historical and sociological analysis. Implies that the subject was once significant and is now fading.

Examples

1. 工业革命加速了传统手工业的没落，使许多工匠逐渐失去了生计。 The Industrial Revolution accelerated the decline of traditional handicrafts, and many artisans gradually lost their livelihoods.
2. 曾经辉煌一时的贵族阶层随着时代变迁而逐渐走向没落。 Once-glorious aristocratic classes gradually fell into decline as the times changed.
3. 这家老字号品牌因为未能及时转型，在激烈的市场竞争中慢慢没落。 This long-established brand slowly declined in fierce market competition because it failed to transform in time.

Usage Guide

Context: history, sociology, business, culture

Tone: serious/reflective

Do Say

• 传统文化在快速现代化的进程中面临没落的危机。(Traditional culture faces the crisis of decline in the rapid modernisation process.)
• 这个曾经强大的帝国在内忧外患中逐步走向没落。(This once powerful empire gradually declined under internal strife and external pressure.)

Don't Say

• 用'没落'形容短暂的低谷或挫败 (没落 implies a permanent, structural decline — use 低迷 or 下滑 for temporary downturns)

Origin & History

没(sink/disappear) + 落(fall). The compound suggests sinking and falling simultaneously, conveying irreversible decline.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal