凶险 (xiōng xiǎn) — danger, peril, critical state | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A formal/literary word for 'danger' or 'peril' — focuses on how threatening and risky a situation is, not the act of danger itself. Read as 凶xiōng+险xiǎn rather than 危险.

noun

dangerperilcritical state

Examples

凶险。
Tā jīng lì le wú shù xiōng xiǎn.
He experienced countless dangers.
凶险。
Zhè zhǒng xiōng xiǎn nán yǐ yù liào.
This kind of danger is hard to predict.
凶险。
Wǒ men dé bì kāi zhè xiē xiōng xiǎn.
We must avoid these dangers.

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

险xiǎnperilous

凶 “fierce” and 险 “perilous” combine to mean danger.

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.

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 險; 险 is its simplified writing.

阝僉險

Meaning part形符xíngfú

阝Written in full as阜fù

Sound part声符shēngfú

僉

僉qiān險

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

The traditional form 險 pairs 阝, written in full as 阜, with 僉, which gives the sound; the simplified 险 is a shorthand.

Appears in

Safety & Danger

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