(zhàng) - Miasma — noxious vapors or poisonous air, especially

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zhàng | 16 strokes | radical:

· zhàng

Miasma — noxious vapors or poisonous air, especially from swamps or marshes in tropical regions, believed to cause diseases like malaria.

Miasma — noxious vapors or poisonous air, especially

Usage highlights

miasmatic air/poisonmiasmatic disease/malariamiasmatic fogmiasmatic epidemicmiasmatic cloudsmiasmatic region

Synonyms

  • pestilence
  • epidemic

Antonyms

  • clear/pure (air)
  • refreshing (air)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The explorers feared the tropical miasma (瘴气).
  • Malaria was historically attributed to miasma (瘴疠).
  • The southern regions were known for their pestilential air (瘴雾).
  • Ancient texts describe miasma as causing seasonal epidemics (瘴疫).

Collocations

  • miasmatic air/poison(瘴气)
  • miasmatic disease/malaria(瘴疠)
  • miasmatic fog(瘴雾)
  • miasmatic epidemic(瘴疫)
  • miasmatic clouds(瘴云)
  • miasmatic region(瘴乡)

Idioms

  • Miasmatic clouds and pestilential rain(瘴雨蛮云)
  • Miasmatic regions and barbarous lands(瘴乡恶土)
  • Ursine roar and miasmatic rain(熊咆瘴雨)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically associated with southern China's Lingnan region, where tropical diseases were misunderstood as poisonous air.
  • In traditional Chinese medicine, miasma was considered an external pathogenic factor causing seasonal epidemics.
  • Literary works often used 'miasma' to depict untamed, dangerous southern frontiers.

FAQ