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发怒 (fā nù) — to get angry

Definition

发怒 (fānù) means 'to fly into a rage' — more intense and literary than 生气, which is the everyday 'get angry'. Often used about someone powerful (a boss, a king) losing control.

verb
to get angry

Examples

  • 发怒，。
    Tā hěn róng yì fā nù, nǐ yào xiǎo xīn shuō huà.
    He gets angry easily, so be careful what you say.
  • 发怒。
    Wǒ cóng lái méi jiàn tā fā nù guò.
    I've never seen him get angry.
  • 发怒，。
    Bié fā nù, hǎo hǎo shāng liang.
    Don't get angry; let's talk it over nicely.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

发fāproduce
怒nùanger

"发" contributes "produce" and "怒" contributes "anger", so 发怒 means to produce anger.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 發; 发 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 发 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (爆发, 出发) it is 發; in others (理发, 头发) it is 髮.

The form 發, which 发 stands for in many words, was originally drawn as a bow firing an arrow.

Open 发 →

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
奴
奴nú怒nù
Same sound today

怒 pairs 心 (heart) with 奴, which is used for its sound rather than its meaning of slave.

Open 怒 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Emotions & Feelings

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