warmth and coldness; fickleness of society
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesnoun
warmth and coldness; (figurative) fawning and indifference
literaryMost commonly used in the set phrase 世态炎凉 to describe how people treat others differently based on their social status—warm and flattering to the powerful, cold and indifferent to the weak. Can also be used in variations like 炎凉世态 or as a verb object (e.g., 饱尝炎凉).
Shì世
tài态
yán炎
liáng凉
，
rén人
qíng情
lěng冷
nuǎn暖
，
tā他
zǎo早
yǐ已
kàn看
dàn淡
。
He has long since become indifferent to the fickleness of the world and the warmth and coldness of human relationships.
Zì自
cóng从
tā他
pò破
chǎn产
yǐ以
hòu后
，
cái才
zhēn真
zhèng正
tǐ体
huì会
dào到
shén什
me么
jiào叫
shì世
tài态
yán炎
liáng凉
。
Only after he went bankrupt did he truly understand what it means to experience the coldness of the world.
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Tā他
yī一
shēng生
bǎo饱
cháng尝
yán炎
liáng凉
，
què却
shǐ始
zhōng终
bǎo保
chí持
zhe着
yī一
kē颗
shàn善
liáng良
de的
xīn心
。
He tasted the full bitterness of the world's fickleness throughout his life, yet always maintained a kind heart.
Yán炎
liáng凉
shì世
tài态
，
zì自
gǔ古
yǐ以
lái来
jiù就
shì是
rú如
cǐ此
。
The fickleness of the world has been thus since ancient times.