鯘 (něi) - rotten, putrid, spoiled (of food) & to decay, to decompose

鯘Tone 3

něi ｜ 19 strokes ｜ radical:

楠念

鯘 · něi

rotten, putrid, spoiled (of food);

to decay, to decompose

rotten, putrid, spoiled (of food)to decay, to decompose

Usage highlights

rotten fishputrid smellspoiled fooddecaying meatrancid oilfood spoilage

Synonyms

  • 腐— rotten, decayed
  • 臭— smelly, foul
  • 敗— spoiled, ruined

Antonyms

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

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The fish has gone bad (魚鯘了).
  • This meat smells rotten (肉有鯘味).
  • Don't eat spoiled food (不要吃鯘掉的食物).
  • The fruit has started to decay (水果開始鯘了).

Collocations

  • rotten fish(鯘魚)
  • putrid smell(鯘味)
  • spoiled food(鯘食)
  • decaying meat(鯘肉)
  • rancid oil(鯘油)
  • food spoilage(食物鯘敗)

Idioms

  • Rotten fish and spoiled meat(鯘魚敗肉)
  • Rancid and putrid, unbearable to smell(鯘腐難聞)
  • Food spoils, walls collapse(食鯘牆塌)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • 鯘 is an archaic character for describing spoiled food, particularly fish and meat.
  • In traditional Chinese culture, food freshness is highly valued, and terms for spoilage carry strong negative connotations.
  • This character appears more frequently in classical texts than modern usage, where 臭 or 腐 are more common.

FAQ