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奸笑 (jiān xiào) — (noun) a sinister smile; (verb) to smile in a sinister or malicious way

Definition

奸笑 describes a smile that hides bad intentions — 'sinister sneer.' It implies the smiler is scheming, mocking, or about to act maliciously, not just being amused.

noun
a sinister smile
verb
to smile in a sinister or malicious way

Examples

  • 奸笑。
    Tā liǎn shàng lù chū le yì sī jiān xiào.
    A hint of a sinister smile appeared on his face.
  • ，奸笑。
    Kàn dào wǒ shī bài, tā duǒ zài jiǎo luò lǐ jiān xiào.
    Seeing me fail, he hid in the corner and sneered.
  • 奸笑。
    Bú yào qīng yì xiāng xìn nà zhǒng jiān xiào de rén.
    Don't easily trust people who wear a sinister smile.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

奸jiānsinister
笑xiàosmile

奸 means treacherous or sinister, and 笑 is a smile, giving a sinister smile.

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
女女nǚ
Sound part声符shēngfú
干
干gān奸jiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

奸 is written with 女 (woman) on the left and 干 on the right; the evidence says 干 gives the sound and 女 marks the meaning.

Open 奸 →

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
犬犬quǎndog
Sound part声符shēngfú
艸
艸cǎo笑xiào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

An early 笑 used the grass 艸 for the sound and the dog 犬 for the meaning; later it was written with 竹 and 夭.

Open 笑 →
Appears in
Emotions & Feelings

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