受气 (shòu qì) — to be bullied, to be treated unfairly and have to take it

Definition

A colloquial verb meaning 'to be bullied, to put up with unfair treatment'. Refers to enduring mistreatment without fighting back, more passive than the verb 欺负 (bully someone).

verb
to be bullied, to be treated unfairly and have to take it

Examples

  • 受气，。
    Tā zài gōng sī zǒng shòu qì, jué dìng huàn gōng zuò.
    He's always being bullied at the company and decided to change jobs.
  • ，。
    Tā shòu le bàn tiān qì, yí jù huà yě méi shuō.
    She was treated unfairly for a long time and didn't say a word.
  • 受气，。
    Bié zǒng shòu qì, gāi fǎn kàng jiù fǎn kàng.
    Don't always let yourself be bullied; fight back when you should.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

受shòuendure
气qìanger

受 means endure, 气 means anger or insult; taking anger describes being bullied.

Characters in this word

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

受 possibly combines 爪 and 又 as hands with 舟 as a boat, to show handing something over.

Open 受 →

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 氣; 气 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
气
气qì氣qì
Same sound today

The traditional form 氣 pairs 米 (rice) with 气, which supplies the sound; the simplified 气 is a later abbreviation.

Open 气 →

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