also: でいすい
Literally water mixed with mud or dirt; also used figuratively for a difficult or morally impure situation.
After the rain, the river was muddy and brown.
He has endured hardships as if drinking muddy water.
Only with reading どろみず
Figurative use, likening the morally murky world of the pleasure quarters to muddy water. Often in the phrase 泥水稼業 (どろみずかぎょう).
She left the red-light district trade behind.
making a living in the red-light district
Standard kanji spelling; the reading どろみず is the most common.
Rare on'yomi reading, mostly in technical or literary contexts.
Compound of 泥 (mud) and 水 (water). The figurative sense for red-light district comes from the idea of a morally muddy or impure world.