‘耽乐’ is a classical Chinese compound verb meaning 'to indulge in pleasure'—often with a negative connotation of excessive, self-absorbed enjoyment that distracts from duty or moral responsibility. The first character 耽 (dān) means 'to delay,' 'to linger over,' or 'to be preoccupied with'; the second, 乐 (lè), means 'pleasure' or 'joy.' Together, they evoke the idea of lingering too long in pleasurable pursuits to the point of negligence—commonly found in historical texts, philosophical critiques, and literary descriptions of decadent rulers or careless scholars.

This word belongs to formal, literary register and is rarely used in modern spoken Chinese. It appears most often in classical allusions, historical narratives, or rhetorical writing warning against hedonism. Unlike common modern terms like '享乐' (xiǎnglè, 'to enjoy pleasures'), 耽乐 carries stronger moral judgment and implies imbalance—pleasure has overtaken reason or virtue.