沴 (lì) - A rare character referring to harmful vapor or & an evil influence

沴Tone 4

lì ｜ 8 strokes ｜ radical: 氵

俊梁

沴 · lì

A rare character referring to harmful vapor or miasma;

an evil influence;

disharmony in the natural order;

also refers to floodwaters or water damage.

A rare character referring to harmful vapor oran evil influencedisharmony in the natural order

Usage highlights

harmful vaporflood disasterevil influencepestilential airdisharmonycalamitous flood

Synonyms

  • 灾— disaster, calamity
  • 疫— epidemic, plague
  • 戾— perverse, calamitous

Antonyms

  • 祥— auspicious, propitious
  • 和— harmony, peace

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • Ancient texts warned of pestilential vapors (沴气).
  • The flood brought calamity (水沴).
  • There was disharmony between heaven and earth (阴阳沴).

Collocations

  • harmful vapor(沴气)
  • flood disaster(水沴)
  • evil influence(沴厉)
  • pestilential air(沴疫)
  • disharmony(阴阳沴)
  • calamitous flood(灾沴)

Idioms

  • Harmful vapors arise(沴气作祟)
  • Heaven and earth in disharmony(天地沴戾)
  • Floodwaters bringing calamity(水沴为灾)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In ancient Chinese cosmology, 沴 referred to a state of disharmony in the natural order, often manifesting as pestilence or natural disasters.
  • The character appears in classical texts describing ominous signs and calamities, reflecting the belief in cosmic balance.
  • It was associated with the concept of 灾异 (zāiyì) - natural disasters as warnings from heaven about misrule.

FAQ