堕 duò to fall
to fall; to drop; to sink; degenerate
How to remember 堕: 阝 mound + 有 have + 土 earth = to fall. On top of a mound, two boys shout "Nobody can have better balance," slip on the loose earth and are the first to fall.
Component breakdown
堕 = 陏 + 土 earth
- 陏
- 阝 mound
- 有 have
- 𠂇 left hand
- ⺝ moon
- 土 earth
On top of a mound, two boys shout "Nobody can have better balance," slip on the loose earth and are the first to fall.
How it is used
- To fall/sink, chiefly moral: 堕落 (duòluò) to degenerate, go to the bad - 生活堕落 (shēnghuó duòluò) a dissolute life.
- 堕胎 (duòtāi) = abortion. Bound and formal; not the everyday 'fall'.