呵斥 (hē chì) — to berate, to reprimand harshly | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A formal, written verb meaning 'to berate / reprimand harshly,' stronger than everyday scolding. No close HSK sibling to contrast with — use it for sharp, stern criticism in writing or formal speech.

verb

to berateto reprimand harshly

Examples

呵斥。
Lǎo bǎn zài huì yì shàng hē chì le fàn cuò de yuán gōng.
The boss berated the employee who made a mistake in the meeting.
呵斥。
Lǎo shī yán lì dì hē chì le bù shǒu jì lǜ de xué shēng.
The teacher sternly reprimanded the student who didn't follow discipline.
呵斥。
Mǔ qīn bù rěn xīn hē chì zì jǐ de hái zi.
The mother couldn't bear to scold her own child.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéSide by side

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

呵hēshout at

呵 (shout at) and 斥 (scold) combine to mean harshly rebuke.

Characters in this word

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

口可呵

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

可

可kě呵hē

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

The left part 口 (mouth) points to a mouth action, while 可 gives the sound.

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

广广guǎngbuilding

Sound part声符shēngfú

屰

屰nì斥chì

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

An older form paired 广 (building) with 屰 (sound part); 斥 developed from that shape.

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