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凶狠 (xiōng hěn) — fierce and cruel; vicious

Definition

Combines 凶's ferocity with 狠's cruelty, describing a savage, bloodthirsty manner — people, animals, or actions. Stronger and more visceral than 凶恶 or 凶残, which lean toward menacing appearance.

adjective
fierce and cruelvicious

Examples

  • 凶狠。
    Tā duì dài dí rén fēi cháng xiōng hěn.
    He treats enemies very cruelly.
  • 凶狠。
    Zhè ge diàn yǐng lǐ de huài rén fēi cháng xiōng hěn.
    The villain in this movie is very vicious.
  • 凶狠。
    Nà zhī shī zi kàn qǐ lái shí fēn xiōng hěn.
    That lion looks very fierce.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

凶xiōngfierce
狠hěncruel

凶 fierce and 狠 cruel together describe a vicious, merciless temperament.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

凶 originally drew a hole with a lump of rock, mud, stone, or bamboo in it.

Open 凶 →

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
犭Written in full as犬quǎn
Sound part声符shēngfú
艮
艮gèn狠hěn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 狠, the left part 犭 is a shortened form of 犬; the right part 艮 gives the sound.

Open 狠 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Personality & Traits

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