TongTong
Sign in

害群之马 (hài qún zhī mǎ) — a person who is a bad influence on the group; a black sheep

Definition

A literary four-character idiom for 'a black sheep' — one person who damages the whole group. Used in written/formal contexts, stronger than everyday 一颗老鼠屎.

noun
a person who is a bad influence on the groupa black sheep

Examples

  • ，害群之马。
    Tā zǒng shì bù zūn shǒu jì lǜ, chéng le tuán duì lǐ de hài qún zhī mǎ.
    He always breaks the rules and has become a black sheep in the team.
  • 害群之马，。
    Gōng sī jué dìng kāi chú nà ge hài qún zhī mǎ, yǐ wéi hù zhěng tǐ lì yì.
    The company decided to fire that troublemaker to protect the overall interests.
  • ，害群之马。
    Zài yí gè jí tǐ zhōng, yào jǐng tì hài qún zhī mǎ de chū xiàn.
    In a group, you must be wary of the emergence of a bad apple.

Origin

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.

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀mián
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
丯
丯jiè害hài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

害 was borrowed purely for its sound. Its old picture, possibly a house rafter, is unrelated to harm.

Open 害 →

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
羊羊yáng
Sound part声符shēngfú
君
君jūn群
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

群 pairs 羊, a sheep, to point to a herd or group, with 君 giving the sound.

Open 群 →

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

The shape pairs 止, a foot, with 一, a beginning place, and means to go.

Open 之 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 馬; 马 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 馬 shows a horse with its head facing left, a flowing mane, and two legs standing vertically.

Open 马 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesPeople (General)

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