亡命之徒 (wáng mìng zhī tú) — desperado; reckless outlaw; violent criminal wh…

Definition

A 'desperado' — someone so reckless or cornered they are willing to risk their life. Stronger than 罪犯, which is any criminal.

noun

desperadoreckless outlawviolent criminal who risks death

亡命之徒。
Diàn yǐng lǐ de wáng mìng zhī tú zuì hòu quán bèi jǐng chá zhuā zhù le.
The desperados in the movie were all caught by the police in the end.
亡命之徒。
Zhè huǒ wáng mìng zhī tú zài chéng lǐ qiǎng le hǎo jǐ jiā yín háng.
This gang of desperados robbed several banks in the city.
，亡命之徒。
Tā wèi le qián shén me dōu gǎn zuò, jiǎn zhí shì gè wáng mìng zhī tú.
He dares to do anything for money — he's practically a desperado.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

The shape originally marked a knife's cutting edge with a line.

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

口口kǒumouth

Sound part声符shēngfú

令

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

命 combines 口, a mouth, with 令, which gives the sound.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape pairs 止, a foot, with 一, a beginning place, and means to go.

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

辵辵chuòwalk

Sound part声符shēngfú

土

Same sound today

徒 originally paired 辵, a walking sign, with 土 to show its sound. The shape later changed into 彳 and 走.

Appears in