A Chinese man was hospitalised for three weeks after discovering that his genitals had been slowly rotting.

According to reports, the man's underpants had been gifted by his wife and were laced with toxic chemicals.

The man surnamed Zhang and his wife, both from Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang province had been quarreling before he was hospitalized.

A bottle of Paraquat: The man in China had his underpants laced with this toxic substance by his wife

According to Hangzhou.com.cn, the man did not realise what his wife had done until he found his genitals putrefying.

He also suffered from breathing difficulties.

Zhang was rushed to hospital where he spent two weeks in intensive care followed by a week in the burns unit.

He has since been discharged.

Doctors discovered that his underpants had been covered in paraquat, a toxic chemical used as a herbicide.

Zhang spent two weeks in intensive care after he realised his gentials were rotting (File photo)

According to Ren Zhangmo, a doctor at the Second Hospital of Zhejiang Medical Emergency Medicine, 'If immediately cleaned, there will not be a problem with herbicidal spraying pesticides'.

However the toxic substance which is odourless and colourless, stayed on the man's skin for some time.

The hospital also noticed that the man still has come difficulties breathing and doctors say he could encounter them for the rest of his life thanks to his wife's act.

Zhang's wife had allegedly wanted to get back at her husband for an earlier argument and had soaked his pants in the toxic substance before drying them in the sun.

She then handed them to her husband to wear on their daughter's wedding day.

Zhang's wife was arrested and police are conducting further investigations into the matter.