变味

變味

biànwèi

verb #34,249

Meanings

1 to spoil (of food); go off in flavor
2 (figurative) to change in nature for the worse; to turn sour

Characters

Examples

牛奶放了三天，已经变味了。

Niúnǎi fàng le sān tiān, yǐjīng biànwèi le.

The milk has been sitting for three days; it's already gone off.

这件好事到了他手里就变味了。

Zhè jiàn hǎo shì dào le tā shǒu lǐ jiù biànwèi le.

This good idea turned sour as soon as it landed in his hands.

Tips

usage

The figurative sense — 'a policy / an event / a tradition 变味' — is very common. It describes something that started off well but has been twisted, commercialised, or corrupted. e.g. 节日变味了 ('the holiday has lost its meaning'), 这场比赛变味了 ('this match has turned ugly').

memory

变 (biàn, change) + 味 (wèi, taste/flavor). Literally 'change taste' = food spoils, or the 'flavor' of an event sours.

Stroke Order

变 biàn

味 wèi