opium; narcotic drug
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 5 examplesnoun
opium; a highly addictive narcotic drug extracted from the seed capsules of the opium poppy Papaver somniferum
Historically significant in China due to the Opium Wars (1839–1842, 1856–1860). Possession and use are illegal in most jurisdictions today.
Yā鸦
piàn片
zhàn战
zhēng争
shì是
Zhōng中
guó国
jìn近
dài代
shǐ史
de的
kāi开
duān端
。
The Opium War marked the beginning of modern Chinese history.
Xī吸
shí食
yā鸦
piàn片
huì会
dǎo导
zhì致
yán严
zhòng重
de的
jiàn健
kāng康
wèn问
tí题
。
Smoking opium can lead to serious health problems.
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Shí十
jiǔ九
shì世
jì纪
，
yā鸦
piàn片
mào贸
yì易
gěi给
Zhōng中
guó国
shè社
huì会
dài带
lái来
le了
shēn深
zhòng重
de的
zāi灾
nàn难
。
In the 19th century, the opium trade brought profound disaster to Chinese society.
noun
(metaphor) something that corrupts the mind or causes spiritual decay and addiction; spiritual opium
formalOften used in political or social commentary, such as '精神鸦片' (spiritual opium), originally referring to religion in Marxist discourse, now sometimes applied to addictive entertainment like video games or social media.
Yǒu有
xiē些
rén人
bǎ把
diàn电
zǐ子
yóu游
xì戏
chēng称
wéi为
jīng精
shén神
yā鸦
piàn片
。
Some people call video games spiritual opium.
Tā他
chén沉
mí迷
wǎng网
luò络
dǔ赌
bó博
，
bǎ把
dǔ赌
bó博
dāng当
chéng成
le了
yā鸦
piàn片
。
He is addicted to online gambling, treating it like opium.