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世衰道微

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Chinese

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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)
simp. #(世衰道微)

Etymology

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From Mencius:

世衰道微邪說暴行 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
世衰道微邪说暴行 [Classical Chinese, 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

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Idiom

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世衰道微

  1. the world falls into decay and moral values deteriorate