怕人 (pà rén) — (verb-object) to be afraid of people, shy; (adjective) frightening, terrifying

Definition

Two distinct uses: as a verb-object phrase, 'to be shy around people' (people-shy, introverted); as an adjective, 'frightening, scary' (a place, a scene).

verb
(verb-object) to be afraid of peopleshy
adjective
frighteningterrifying

Examples

  • ，怕人。
    Tā xìng gé nèi xiàng, hěn pà rén.
    She is introverted and very shy around people.
  • 。
    Tā cóng lái méi pà guò rén.
    He has never been afraid of people.
  • ，怕人。
    Nà ge shān dòng lǐ hēi qī qī de, zhēn pà rén.
    That cave is pitch black, really frightening.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

怕pàfear
人rénpeople

怕 expresses fear, and 人 is the feared target, giving a sense of being shy or frightening.

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
白
白bái怕pà
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

怕 pairs 心 (heart) with 白, which gives the sound.

Open 怕 →

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

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →

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