嫉恨 (jí hèn) — to envy and hate; to resent (out of jealousy)

Definition

嫉恨 (jí hèn) is a strong verb meaning 'to envy and hate' — more intense than 嫉妒 (jídù), which on its own usually means just 'to be jealous'. Use 嫉恨 when envy has hardened into resentment or hatred.

verb
to envy and hateto resent (out of jealousy)

Examples

  • 嫉恨。
    Tā yīn wèi jí dù ér jí hèn tóng shì de chéng gōng.
    She resented her colleague's success out of jealousy.
  • 嫉恨，。
    Tā xīn zhōng chōng mǎn le jí hèn, wú fǎ shì huái.
    His heart was full of envy and hatred, unable to let go.
  • 嫉恨。
    Zhè zhǒng jí hèn de qíng xù zuì zhōng huǐ le tā de rén jì guān xì.
    This feeling of envy and hatred eventually ruined his relationships.

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.

嫉jíenvy; resent
恨hènhate

嫉 and 恨 both express resentment, blending envy with hatred.

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
疾
疾jí嫉jí
Same sound today

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

Open 嫉 →

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
忄Written in full as心xīnheart; thought; emotion
Sound part声符shēngfú
艮
艮gèn恨hèn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 忄 is the heart, pointing to an emotion such as regret or hate. The right side 艮 supplies the sound.

Open 恨 →

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