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蔫

niān
adjective #31,718

Meanings

  1. 1 wilted
  2. 2 withered
  3. 3 (of a person) listless
  4. 4 spiritless
  5. 5 dispirited

Examples

花瓶里的花都蔫了。
Huāpíng lǐ de huā dōu niān le.
The flowers in the vase have all wilted.
他这几天看起来蔫蔫的。
Tā zhè jǐ tiān kàn qǐlái niānniān de.
He's been looking listless these past few days.
太阳一晒，菠菜就蔫了。
Tàiyáng yī shài, bōcài jiù niān le.
Once the sun hits them, the spinach leaves wilt.

Tips

usage
蔫 has two parallel meanings: literally for plants/leaves losing water and going limp, and figuratively for people lacking energy or enthusiasm. Common compounds: 蔫巴巴 (niānbābā, 'all wilted/listless'), 蔫头耷脑 (niāntóu-dānǎo, 'head drooping, listless'), 蔫不唧儿 (niānbujīr, Beijing slang: 'quietly / on the sly').
memory
The 艹 (grass) radical at the top is the giveaway — the original meaning is plants going limp from lack of water. Picture a wilting leaf and the meaning extends naturally to 'a wilted person'.

Stroke Order

蔫 niān