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怯懦 (qiè nuò) — cowardly, timid; faint-hearted

Definition

Formal/literary adjective meaning 'cowardly, timid' — used in writing or character descriptions, much stronger than everyday 胆小. Implies a deep, ingrained lack of courage rather than momentary hesitation.

adjective
cowardlytimidfaint-hearted

Examples

  • 怯懦，。
    Tā xìng gé qiè nuò, yù shì zǒng shì bù gǎn chū tóu.
    He has a cowardly personality and never dares to take the lead when something happens.
  • ，怯懦。
    Zài zhè ge jìng zhēng jī liè de háng yè lǐ, qiè nuò de rén hěn nán chéng gōng.
    In this fiercely competitive industry, faint-hearted people can hardly succeed.
  • 怯懦。
    Tā de yǎn shén tòu lù chū nèi xīn de qiè nuò.
    His eyes revealed the cowardice within.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

怯qiètimid
懦nuòcowardly

Both 怯 and 懦 mean timid or cowardly, so together they emphasize a faint-hearted nature.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 怯 →

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
Sound part声符shēngfú
需
需xū懦nuò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 忄 is a heart; the right side 需 gives the sound.

Appears in
Personality & Traits

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