颓废
tuí fèi · HSK 7
decadent
🥀 颓 decline + 废 waste = run-down and used-up: decadent, dispirited
颓 means to decline or collapse, 废 means waste or useless. Together they describe a person worn down to nothing left. Sound hook: tuí fèi runs like too-way-fade, energy fading away.
废 — radical 广 (shelter) + phonetic 发 (fā)
Originally written 廢, this character depicts a building (广, a shelter or house) that has fallen into disuse, with 發 serving as the phonetic component. The core meaning is 'to abandon' or 'discard,' extending to 'ruined,' 'useless,' or 'waste.' The simplified form 废 replaces 發 with 发.