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唾弃 (tuò qì) — to spurn, to disdain

Definition

唾弃 (tuòqì) is a strong, written verb meaning to spurn or repudiate someone/something you find morally repugnant. Stronger than 鄙视 (mere contempt) and 嫌弃 (personal dislike), and used for moral condemnation rather than physical disposal like 抛弃/丢弃.

verb
to spurnto disdain

Examples

  • 唾弃。
    Tā yīn wèi bèi pàn péng you ér bèi dà jiā tuò qì.
    He was spurned by everyone because he betrayed his friends.
  • 唾弃。
    Zhè zhǒng fǔ bài xíng wéi yīng gāi shòu dào tuò qì.
    This kind of corrupt behavior should be spurned.
  • 唾弃，。
    Wǒ men bú yīng gāi tuò qì nà xiē guò shí de chuán tǒng, ér yīng gāi zūn zhòng lì shǐ.
    We should not disdain those outdated traditions, but rather respect history.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

唾tuòto spit
弃qìdiscard

'唾' conveys spitting in contempt, while '弃' adds casting aside, together meaning to reject with disdain.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
垂
垂chuí唾tuò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

唾 combines 口, a mouth, with 垂, which gives the sound. The mouth part connects it to saliva.

Open 唾 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 棄; 弃 is its simplified writing.

  • 子子zǐchild
  • 𠀠𠀠𠀠basket
  • 廾廾gǒngtwo hands

The traditional form 棄, not the simplified 弃, shows 子 (child), 𠀠 (basket), and 廾 (two hands), as a picture of throwing out a child in a basket.

Open 弃 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Attitudes & Opinions

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.