爛 (làn) - Rotten, decayed, worn-out & overcooked, soft

爛Tone 4

làn ｜ 21 strokes ｜ radical:

俊梁

爛 · làn

Rotten, decayed, worn-out;

overcooked, soft;

messy, disorderly;

extremely, thoroughly;

bright, brilliant.

Rotten, decayed, worn-outovercooked, softmessy, disorderly

Usage highlights

RottenOvercookedTattered clothesMessy accountBright and dazzlingThoroughly familiar

Synonyms

  • 腐— rot, decay
  • 敗— spoiled, ruined

Antonyms

  • 新— new, fresh
  • 鮮— fresh (especially of food)
  • 整— neat, orderly

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The fruit has gone rotten (水果爛了).
  • She cooked the vegetables until they were soft (煮得很爛).
  • He has a thorough grasp of the material (知識很爛熟).
  • The room is in a messy state (房間很爛).

Collocations

  • Rotten(腐爛)
  • Overcooked(煮爛)
  • Tattered clothes(爛衣服)
  • Messy account(爛賬)
  • Bright and dazzling(燦爛)
  • Thoroughly familiar(爛熟)

Idioms

  • Brilliant and dazzling(燦爛輝煌)
  • Rotten like mud(爛醉如泥)
  • A broken basket(爛攤子)
  • Thoroughly familiar with the heart(爛熟於心)
  • Rotten head and rotten face(爛頭爛臉)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In Chinese cuisine, '爛' describes food cooked until tender, which is often desirable.
  • The character carries both negative (decay, mess) and positive (brilliance, thoroughness) connotations.
  • In traditional medicine, '爛' might refer to certain skin conditions or ulcers.

FAQ