祸根 (huò gēn) — root cause of misfortune or disaster; bane

Definition

祸根 (huò gēn) literally 'root of disaster' — used for an underlying cause that brings misfortune, misfortune often already realized or inevitable. Stronger and more literary than plain 原因; the focus is on blame-worthy origin, not neutral cause.

noun
root cause of misfortune or disasterbane

Examples

  • 祸根
    Tān lán shì hěn duō wèn tí de huò gēn.
    Greed is the root cause of many problems.
  • 祸根
    Zhè chǎng zhàn zhēng de huò gēn zài yú lǐng tǔ zhēng duān.
    The root cause of this war lies in territorial disputes.
  • 祸根
    Tā yì shí dào zì jǐ de huài xí guàn shì shī bài de huò gēn.
    He realized that his bad habits were the root cause of his failure.

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