染

rǎn

HSK 6

染 — rǎn

1. to dye (fabric, hair, etc.)

   她把旧衣服染成了蓝色。 tā bǎ jiùyīfú rǎnchéng le lánsè — She dyed the old clothes blue.

2. to catch (a disease)

   他在冬天里染上了流感。 tā zài dōngtiān lǐ rǎnshàng le liúgǎn — He caught the flu during winter.

3. to acquire (bad habits, manners, etc.)

   他在大学里染上了晚睡的习惯。 tā zài dàxué lǐ rǎnshàng le wǎnshuì de xíguàn — He picked up the habit of staying up late at university.

4. to contaminate; to pollute

   河流被工厂排放的废水染污了。 héliú bèi gōngchǎng páifàng de fèishuǐ rǎnwū le — The river was contaminated by wastewater discharged from the factory.

5. to add color washes to a painting (esp. traditional Chinese painting)

   国画常用淡染来表现山水的远近关系。 guóhuà chángyòng dàn rǎn lái biǎoxiàn shānshuǐ de yuǎnjìn guānxì — Chinese painting often uses light washes to show depth in landscapes.