倔 (juè) — gruff, surly (in speech or manner)

Definition

Describes a person's manner or speech as blunt and gruff, not warm. Compare 倔强 (stubborn in will) and 顽固 (obstinate, won't change views) — those describe unyielding character, while 倔 is about rough, off-putting behavior.

adjective

gruffsurly (in speech or manner)

Examples

倔，。
Tā shuō huà zǒng shì nà me juè, hǎo xiàng shuí dōu qiàn tā qián shì de.
He always speaks so gruffly, as if everyone owes him money.
倔，。
Tā duì gù kè tài dù hěn juè, bèi tóu sù le hǎo jǐ cì.
His attitude towards customers is very gruff; he's been complained about several times.
倔，。
Zhè lǎo tóu r pí qi juè, dàn rén hěn hǎo.
This old man has a gruff temper but is a good person.

Origin

Sound + meaning

六书liùshū

形声xíngshēng

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

人人rénperson

Sound part声符shēngfú

屈

屈qū倔juè

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

倔 is built from 人, a person, and 屈, which shows the sound.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Personality & Traits

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.