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加害 (jiā hài) — to injure, to do harm to

Definition

加害 means to deliberately harm or injure someone (an act, not an accident). Pairs with 人/他人 as the object, often contrasted with 被害 ('to be victimized').

verb
to injureto do harm to

Examples

  • 加害。
    Tā gù yì jiā hài wú gū de rén.
    He deliberately harmed innocent people.
  • 加害。
    Zhè ge guó jiā jìn zhǐ rèn hé rén jiā hài yě shēng dòng wù.
    This country prohibits anyone from harming wild animals.
  • 加害。
    jiā hài Tā rén zuì zhōng zhī huì shāng hài zì jǐ.
    Harming others will only end up hurting yourself.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

加jiāimpose
害hàiharm

加 means to impose and 害 means harm, so together they mean to impose harm.

Characters in this word

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

加 pairs 力 and 口. In one explanation 力 is strength and 口 is the mouth, meaning exaggeration; in another 力 is plowing effort and 口 is breath or exclamation, meaning extra effort.

Open 加 →

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

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀mián
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
丯
丯jiè害hài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

害 was borrowed purely for its sound. Its old picture, possibly a house rafter, is unrelated to harm.

Open 害 →
Appears in
Crime & Police

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