世衰道微

Chinese

life; age; generation
life; age; generation; era; world; lifetime
 
weak; feeble; decline
weak; feeble; decline; wane; mourning garments
 
direction; way; method
direction; way; method; road; path; principle; truth; reason; skill; Tao (of Taoism); a measure word; to say; to speak; to talk
 
tiny; minute; clandestine
tiny; minute; clandestine; hide; elegant; exquisite
 
trad. (世衰道微) 世 衰 道 微
simp. #(世衰道微) 世 衰 道 微

Etymology

From Mencius:

世衰道微，邪說暴行有作，臣弒其君者有之，子弒其父者有之。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
世衰道微，邪说暴行有作，臣弑其君者有之，子弑其父者有之。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]
From: Mencius, c. 4th century BCE
Shìshuāidàowēi, xiéshuō bàoxìng yǒu zuò, chén shì qí jūn zhě yǒu zhī, zǐ shì qí fù zhě yǒu zhī. [Pinyin]
Again the world fell into decay, and principles faded away. Perverse speakings and oppressive deeds waxed rife again. There were instances of ministers who murdered their sovereigns, and of sons who murdered their fathers.

Pronunciation

Idiom

世衰道微

  1. the world falls into decay and moral values deteriorate
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