朽 (xiǔ): rotten
朽 (xiǔ) is a Chinese character meaning “rotten.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 木 (structural) and 丂 (structural). It ranks #2448 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 朽 the wood of a dying 丂 tree 木. Its radical form 木 (tree) appears in many related characters such as 本 (běn, (bound form) root), 机 (jī, machine, opportunity), 条 (tiáo, strip).
Definitions
- rotten
Etymology & Origin
ideographicThe wood of a dying 丂 tree 木
Decomposition: ⿰木丂 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
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Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 腐朽verb | fǔ xiǔ | rotten |
| 不朽verb | bù xiǔ | to last forever |
| 永垂不朽verb | yǒng chuí bù xiǔ | eternal glory |
| 朽木noun | xiǔ mù | rotten wood |
| 老朽adjective | lǎo xiǔ | decrepit and behind the times |
| 朽烂verb | xiǔ làn | rotten |
| 化腐朽为神奇phrase | huà fǔ xiǔ wéi shén qí | lit. to change something rotten into something magical (idiom) |
| 三不朽 | sān bù xiǔ | the three imperishables, three ways to distinguish oneself that aren't forgotten by history: through one's virtue 立德[... |
| 朽木不可雕proverb | xiǔ mù bù kě diāo | lit. rotten wood cannot be carved (idiom) |
| 朽坏verb | xiǔ huài | rotten |
| 衰朽adjective | shuāi xiǔ | decaying |
| 朽蠹 | xiǔ dù | to decay and be eaten by worms etc |
| 枯朽adjective | kū xiǔ | withered and rotten |
| 颓朽 | tuí xiǔ | decaying |
朽 appears in 14 compound words: 36 as the first character, 57 as the last, and 7 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 朽 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (1)
Example Sentences
黑色填土与棺椁朽痕之间的色差极微弱，稍纵即逝，用肉眼分辨极为困难。
hēi sè tián tǔ yǔ guān 椁 xiǔ hén zhī jiān de sè chā jí wēi ruò , shāo zòng jí shì , yòng ròu yǎn fēn biàn jí wéi kùn nán .
The color difference between the black fill soil and the decay marks on the coffin and sarcophagus is extremely subtle and fleeting, making it extremely difficult to distinguish with the naked eye.
但历经千百年岁月，不少文物呈现糟朽破损的情况，如何让它们继续流传后世？
dàn lì jīng qiān bǎi nián suì yuè , bù shǎo wén wù chéng xiàn zāo xiǔ pò sǔn de qíng kuàng , rú hé ràng tā men jì xù liú chuán hòu shì ?
However, after thousands of years, many cultural relics have become decayed and damaged. How can we ensure they are preserved for future generations?
...屋顶突塌!男受困50分钟脱困 初判木梁腐朽酿祸
. . . wū dǐng tū tā ! nán shòu kùn 5 0 fēn zhōng tuō kùn chū pàn mù liáng fǔ xiǔ niàng huò
...Roof Collapses! Man Trapped for 50 Minutes Before Being Rescued; Preliminary Findings Point to Rotten Wooden Beams as the Cause
不共戴天的敌人是不朽的朋友。
Bùgòngdàitiān de dírén shì bù xiǔ de péngyou.
Mortal enemies are immortal friends.
问题不是政治不纯洁，而是整个政治博弈已经腐朽。
Wèntí bù shì zhèngzhì bù chúnjié, érshì zhěnggè zhèngzhì bóyì yǐjīng fǔxiǔ.
The trouble is not with impure politics, but that the whole game of politics is rotten.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
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What characters sound the same as 朽 (xiǔ)?
Is 朽 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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