污染
To contaminate in Chinese is 污染.
污染 means to pollute or contaminate. It is most commonly used in the context of environmental pollution, such as air, water or soil contamination.
Meaning: To introduce impurities or foreign matter (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that something has been contaminated (passive voice), use the structure 被污染.
Did you know?
- The character 染 in 污染 also means 'to dye' or 'to color', which is why the same word is used for both 'infecting' a wound and 'dyeing' fabric.
- The phrase 被污染 (to be contaminated) uses the passive marker 被, which historically carried a strong sense of being 'wronged' or 'suffering' an action. Using it for environmental contamination emphasizes that the environment is a victim of the action.
- The character 污 in 污染 contains the radical for 'dirt' or 'mud', which is a visual cue for the concept. This same radical appears in words related to 'shame' or 'stain', showing how the language links physical grime to social disgrace.
Examples in context
- 污染是一个严重的问题。Contamination is a serious problem.
- 别把地毯弄脏了。Don't dirty the carpet.
- 水被污染了。The water has been contaminated.
- 这种化学物质会污染水源。Zhè zhǒng huà xué wù zhì huì wǔ rǎn shuǐ yuán.This chemical substance will contaminate the water source.
- 工厂排放的废气污染了空气。Gōng chǎng pái fàng de fèi qì wǔ rǎn le kōng qì.The exhaust emitted by the factory contaminated the air.
- 我们要防止食物被污染。Wǒ men yào fáng zhǐ shí wù bèi wǔ rǎn.We must prevent the food from being contaminated.
Example conversation
Two neighbors are discussing a local environmental issue.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen附近的工厂污染了河流吗？Fù jìn de gōng chǎng wǔ rǎn le hé liú ma?Did the nearby factory contaminate the river?
- 浩然 Haoran是的，水质变得很差。Shì de, shuǐ zhì biàn de hěn chà.Yes, the water quality has become very poor.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen这会对当地生态造成污染吗？Zhè huì duì dāng dì shēng tài zào chéng wǔ rǎn ma?Will this cause contamination to the local ecology?
- 浩然 Haoran很有可能，情况很严重。Hěn yǒu kě néng, qíng kuàng hěn yán zhòng.It is very possible, the situation is serious.
