污秽

• Pinyin: wū huì
• Hanzi breakdown: 污 = 氵 (water) + 亏 (deficient — polluted water); 秽 = 禾 (grain) + 岁 (years — grain left to rot, putrid)

Meaning

Filthy; foul; morally corrupt. Describes extreme physical dirt or moral degradation of a severe and revolting nature.

Formal and literary register; more intense than 肮脏 (dirty). Used for both physical filth (污秽之地 = a defiled place) and moral or spiritual impurity. Common in religious texts, literary prose, and formal condemnations of immoral behaviour.

Examples

1. 废弃工厂附近的河道污秽不堪，散发着刺鼻的气味，附近居民苦不堪言。 The river channel near the abandoned factory was filthy beyond measure and reeked of a pungent odor, leaving nearby residents miserable.
2. 这部小说以大量篇幅描写了旧社会底层民众所处的污秽环境，深刻揭示了制度的残酷。 This novel devotes extensive space to depicting the squalid conditions endured by the lower classes in the old society, powerfully exposing the cruelty of the system.
3. 法庭上，检察官用道德沦丧来形容被告长期实施的欺骗与剥削行为，措辞极为严厉。 In court, the prosecutor described the defendant’s long-running deception and exploitation as moral decay, using extremely harsh language.

Usage Guide

Context: literature, environment, morality

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 调查报告揭示了该地区长达数十年的工业排放所造成的土壤污秽，当地生态系统遭受了难以估量的破坏。(The investigation report revealed the soil contamination caused by decades of industrial discharge in the region — the local ecosystem suffered incalculable damage.)
• 他在文章中将那段历史称为最黑暗、最污秽的时代，认为它将人性中最卑劣的一面彻底暴露出来。(In his article he described that period of history as the darkest and most corrupt era, arguing that it fully exposed the most contemptible aspect of human nature.)

Don't Say

• 你的房间真污秽 — for an ordinary messy or dirty room use 脏乱 or 肮脏; 污秽 implies extreme filth or moral corruption and sounds exaggerated or archaic in everyday domestic contexts

Origin & History

污 (dirt, stain, corrupt) + 秽 (filthy, foul, polluted)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal