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世态炎凉

shì tài yán liángdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
the hypocrisy of the world (idiom)
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-08e2417aa9479d7d. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

世態炎涼 世态炎凉 [shi4 tai4 yan2 liang2] /the hypocrisy of the world (idiom)/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 世態炎涼

  • 世
    shì

    life / age / generation / era / world / lifetime / epoch / descendant / noble

    Shì

    surname Shi

  • 态
    tài

    (bound form) / appearance / shape / form / state / attitude / (grammar) voice

  • 炎
    yán

    flame / inflammation / -itis

  • 凉
    liáng

    cool / cold

    liàng

    to let sth cool down

    Liáng

    the five Liang of the Sixteen Kingdoms, namely: Former Liang 前涼|前凉 (314-376), Later Liang 後涼|后凉 (386-403), Northern Liang 北涼|北凉 (398-439), Southern Liang 南涼|南凉[Nán Liáng] (397-414), Western Liang 西涼|西凉 (400-421)

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.