霉运 (méi yùn) literally combines 霉 (méi), meaning 'mold' or 'mildew', and 运 (yùn), meaning 'fate' or 'luck'. In Chinese culture, mold symbolizes decay, stagnation, and misfortune—so 霉运 evokes the image of 'rotten fate' or 'spoiled luck'. It’s a common, slightly literary but widely understood term for persistent or conspicuous bad luck, often implying a string of unfortunate events rather than a single mishap.

This word is used in both spoken and written contexts—especially when expressing frustration, commiseration, or dark humor. It carries a mild-to-moderate negative tone, stronger than 倒霉 (dǎo méi) but less dramatic than 厄运 (è yùn). People often say 霉运当头 (méi yùn dāng tóu, 'bad luck looms overhead') to emphasize sudden, overwhelming misfortune. Unlike abstract terms like 不幸 (bù xìng), 霉运 feels vivid, concrete, and culturally resonant.