污染
wūrǎn · HSK 5
pollute
🏭 污 = water + dirty; 染 = dye/soak — dirty water soaks in
污 combines 氵(water) with 亏 for the sound, meaning filth or dirty water. 染 shows water + nine + wood, originally the repeated dipping of cloth into dye. Together: dirty stuff soaks in and stains — pollution.
染 — water 氵 + nine 九 + wood 木
染 depicts the dyeing process: 氵 (water) for the dye liquid, 木 (wood) for plant-based dyestuffs, and 九 (nine) suggesting repeated dippings to deepen the color. Originally meaning 'to dye cloth,' it later extended to figurative senses like 'to be influenced' or 'to contract' (as in illness).