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怒不可遏 (nù bù kě è) — to be beside oneself with rage; to be unable to contain one's fury

Definition

An idiomatic chengyu meaning rage so strong it cannot be held back — a literary, written alternative to the colloquial 生气极了. Often paired with an explosive action, as in the examples.

idiom
to be beside oneself with rageto be unable to contain one's fury

Examples

  • ，怒不可遏，。
    Tīng dào zhè ge bù gōng píng de jué dìng, tā nù bù kě è, měng de zhàn le qǐ lái.
    Upon hearing this unfair decision, he was beside himself with rage and stood up abruptly.
  • ，怒不可遏。
    Nà wèi fù qīn kàn dào ér zi bèi rén qī fu, nù bù kě è dì chōng le shàng qù.
    The father, seeing his son being bullied, rushed forward in uncontrollable fury.
  • ，怒不可遏，。
    Miàn duì zhè zhǒng bèi pàn, tā nù bù kě è, yí gè zì dōu shuō bù chū lái.
    Faced with this betrayal, she was so furious she couldn't say a word.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
奴
奴nú怒nù
Same sound today

怒 pairs 心 (heart) with 奴, which is used for its sound rather than its meaning of slave.

Open 怒 →

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

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

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
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
丂
丂kǎo可kě
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

可 pairs 口 (mouth) with 丂 as a sound part; it is tied to air from the mouth, perhaps singing.

Open 可 →

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
辵辵chuòto walk
Sound part声符shēngfú
曷
曷hé遏è
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape of 遏 combines 辵, a walking-related part, with 曷, which gives it a sound.

Open 遏 →
Appears in
Emotions & FeelingsIdioms & Set Phrases

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