恐怖 (kǒng bù) — terrifying, horrible, frightening; (attributive) terrorist (e.g. 恐怖袭击, 恐怖分子)

Definition

恐怖 stresses the heavy, dark dread of terror — stronger than 可怕 ('scary') and reserved for what is genuinely terrifying or, attributively, for 'terrorist' (恐怖袭击). 恐惧 names the fear felt inside, not the thing that causes it.

adjective
terrifyinghorriblefrightening(attributive) terrorist (e.g. 恐怖袭击, 恐怖分子)

Examples

  • 恐怖。
    Zhè ge chuán shuō tīng qǐ lái hěn kǒng bù.
    This legend sounds very scary.
  • 恐怖。
    Zhèng fǔ zhèng zài dǎ jī kǒng bù huó dòng.
    The government is cracking down on terrorist activities.
  • 恐怖。
    Nà chǎng shì gù de kǒng bù chǎng miàn ràng rén nán wàng.
    The terrifying scene of that accident was unforgettable.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

恐kǒngfear
怖bùfear

恐 (fear) and 怖 (fear) reinforce one another, giving the sense of something terrifying or horrible.

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
𢀜
𢀜𢀜恐kǒng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

恐 is written with 心 (heart). The older form pairs 心 with 𢀜; the modern form can be read as 巩 above 心.

Open 恐 →

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
布
布bù怖bù
Same sound today

怖 is made of 忄, the heart, and 布, which gives the sound. The heart side shows fear.

Open 怖 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 5Emotions & FeelingsSafety & Danger2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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