妒嫉 (dù jí) — to be jealous of; to envy | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

妒嫉 (dùjí) is a literary, written word for jealousy/envy over others' success, looks, or talent — more formal than the everyday 嫉妒. The two characters are interchangeable here.

verb

to be jealous ofto envy

Examples

妒嫉。
Tā zǒng shì dù jí tóng shì de chéng gōng.
She is always jealous of her colleagues' success.
妒嫉，。
Bú yào dù jí bié rén, zuò hǎo zì jǐ jiù gòu le.
Don't be jealous of others; just be yourself enough.
妒嫉。
Wǒ chéng rèn wǒ yǒu diǎn dù jí tā de cái huá.
I admit I am a bit jealous of his talent.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

妒 and 嫉 both mean envy; together they express jealousy or envy.

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nǚwoman

Sound part声符shēngfú

戶

戶hù妒

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

In 妒, the left part 女 shows the idea of a woman, while the right part 戶 supplies the sound.

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

女疾嫉

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

疾

疾jí嫉jí

Same sound today

The shape 嫉 combines 女 as the meaning part and 疾 as the sound part.

Appears in

Emotions & Feelings

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