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克星 (kè xīng) — nemesis; natural enemy (a person or team that always defeats you); effective remedy; specific cure (for a disease or problem)

Definition

Literally 'star that overcomes', 克星 means a person or thing that reliably beats or defeats another. Used both for a personal nemesis (rival who always wins against you) and for an effective remedy that cures a stubborn problem.

noun
nemesisnatural enemy (a person or team that always defeats you)effective remedyspecific cure (for a disease or problem)

Examples

  • 克星。
    Nà wèi yùn dòng yuán shì wǒ zài bǐ sài zhōng de kè xīng.
    That athlete is my nemesis in competitions.
  • 克星，。
    Zhè zhǒng yào shì tóu tòng de kè xīng, chī le hěn kuài jiù hǎo le.
    This medicine is a powerful remedy for headaches; it works quickly after taking it.
  • ，克星。
    Zài wéi qí jiè, xiǎo lǐ shì wǒ de kè xīng.
    In the Go world, Xiao Li is my nemesis.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

克kèovercome
星xīngstar

克 means overcome, and 星 means star, forming a star that defeats or remedies a problem.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 克 →

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

The top of 星 is a later simplified form of 晶, twinkling stars; the bottom 生 shows the sound.

Open 星 →
Appears in
Conflict & Agreement

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