义愤填膺 (yì fèn tián yīng) — to be filled with righteous indignation

Definition

A formal chengyu meaning 'chest filled with righteous anger' over injustice or wrongdoing. Used in writing and speeches, far stronger than everyday words like 生气.

idiom
to be filled with righteous indignation

Examples

  • ，义愤填膺。
    Kàn dào zhè zhǒng bù gōng píng de xiàn xiàng, tā yì fèn tián yīng.
    Seeing this kind of unfair phenomenon, he was filled with righteous indignation.
  • 义愤填膺，。
    Mín zhòng duì fǔ bài xíng wéi yì fèn tián yīng, fēn fēn yāo qiú yán chéng.
    The public was filled with righteous indignation at corruption and demanded severe punishment.
  • 义愤填膺。
    Tā yì fèn tián yīng dì qiǎn zé le qīn lüè zhě de bào xíng.
    He condemned the invaders' atrocities with righteous indignation.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

义愤righteous indignation
义yìrighteous愤fènindignation
偏正Modifier + head
填膺fill the chest
填tiánfill膺yīngchest
动宾Verb + object

义愤, righteous indignation, is pictured as filling 膺, the chest, so the person is full of anger.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 義; 义 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
羊羊yáng
Sound part声符shēngfú
我
我wǒ義yì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 義 has 我 giving the sound and 羊 meaning good or auspicious; the simplified 义 is a later abbreviation.

Open 义 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 憤; 愤 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
忄Written in full as心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
賁
賁bì憤fèn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 憤 pairs 忄 (heart) with 賁, which gives the sound; the simplified 愤 is a later shorthand.

Open 愤 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔ
Sound part声符shēngfú
真
真zhēn填
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

填 combines 土 (soil) with 真, which gives the sound.

Open 填 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
肉肉ròubody
Sound part声符shēngfú
𤸰
𤸰𤸰膺yīng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

膺 pairs 肉 (body) with 𤸰, which gives the sound.

Open 膺 →

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