污染 (wūrǎn) — Pollution, to pollute

污染 (wūrǎn)

污染 refers to the introduction of harmful substances or contaminants into the natural environment, and also the act of causing such contamination.

Meanings

1. [noun] pollution; contamination
2. [verb] to pollute; to contaminate; to taint

Example Sentences

工业排放是城市空气污染的主要原因之一。 Gōngyè páifàng shì chéngshì kōngqì wūrǎn de zhǔyào yuányīn zhī yī. Industrial emissions are one of the main causes of urban air pollution.

河流污染威胁着当地居民的饮用水安全。 Héliú wūrǎn wēixiézhe dāngdì jūmín de yǐnyòng shuǐ ānquán. River pollution threatens the drinking water safety of local residents.

减少塑料废物是防止海洋污染的重要措施。 Jiǎnshǎo sùliào fèiwù shì fángzhǐ hǎiyáng wūrǎn de zhòngyào cuòshī. Reducing plastic waste is an important measure to prevent ocean pollution.

工厂向河流中排放废水，严重污染了当地水源。 Gōngchǎng xiàng héliú zhōng páifàng fèishuǐ, yánzhòng wūrǎnle dāngdì shuǐyuán. The factory discharged wastewater into the river, seriously polluting the local water source.

政府出台了一系列措施来治理环境污染。 Zhèngfǔ chūtáile yī xìliè cuòshī lái zhìlǐ huánjìng wūrǎn. The government introduced a series of measures to control environmental pollution.

噪音污染也是现代城市面临的一个严重问题。 Zàoyīn wūrǎn yě shì xiàndài chéngshì miànlín de yī gè yánzhòng wèntí. Noise pollution is also a serious problem facing modern cities.

Collocations

Usage Notes

污染 works as both a noun and a verb in Chinese. As a noun, it names the condition of contamination (e.g., 空气污染 -- air pollution). As a verb, it describes the action of contaminating (e.g., 污染河流 -- pollute the river).

The word appears frequently in environmental discussions and is closely related to terms like 排放 (emissions), 废气 (waste gas), and 废水 (wastewater). When writing about environmental issues in Chinese, 污染 is the most general and versatile term for contamination of any medium.

Memory Hook

污 means "dirty/filthy" (three drops of water + radical suggesting waste) and 染 means "to dye/stain" -- 污染 is staining the world with filth.