沾 染

zhān rǎndictionary entry

to pollute (often fig.) / to be infected by / to gain a small advantage

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-c5d89a777c7b511c. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

沾染沾染 [zhan1 ran3] /to pollute (often fig.)/to be infected by/to gain a small advantage/

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.

沾
zhān
to moisten / to be infected by / to receive benefit or advantage through a contact / to touch
染
rǎn
to dye / to catch (a disease) / to acquire (bad habits etc) / to contaminate / to add color washes to a painting

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.