孽 (niè) — (bound form) monster, demon; evil spirit; (bound form) sin, evil deed, wrongdoing; (bound form, archaic) illegitimate child; seed of evil
Definition
孽 (niè) is a bound root in literary/Buddhist words for evil karma — it almost never stands alone. Most learners meet it in set compounds like 造孽 ('commit sins') and 罪孽 ('sin, wrongdoing').
bound form
(bound form) monsterdemonevil spirit(bound form) sinevil deedwrongdoing(bound form, archaic) illegitimate childseed of evil
Examples
- 孽,。Tā yì shēng zào niè wú shù, zuì zhōng shòu dào le chéng fá.He committed countless sins and was finally punished.
- 孽。Zhè bù xiǎo shuō miáo xiě le yí gè niè zhàng shēn zhòng de rén.This novel depicts a person weighed down by heavy evil.
- ,孽。Fó jiào jiǎng yīn guǒ, zào niè bì yǒu bào yìng.Buddhism teaches karma — if you commit evil deeds, retribution will follow.
Appears in
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.