恶兆 (è zhào) — bad omen, evil omen | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A bad omen — a sign believed to foretell misfortune. A literary/formal noun, mostly used in writing or storytelling rather than everyday speech.

noun

bad omenevil omen

恶兆。
Zhè ge mèng kě néng shì gè è zhào.
This dream might be a bad omen.
恶兆。
Gǔ dài rén rèn wéi rì shí shì è zhào.
Ancient people thought solar eclipses were bad omens.
恶兆。
Tā zǒng jué de hēi māo shì è zhào.
He always thinks black cats are bad omens.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

A 兆, omen, marked by 恶, evil, points to misfortune.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 惡; 恶 is its simplified writing.

亞心惡

Meaning part形符xíngfú

心心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

亞

亞yā惡è

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

The traditional form 惡 pairs 心 (heart) as the meaning part with 亞 (yā) as the sound part; the simplified 恶 is a later shorthand.

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

The form 兆 shows two 人 (person) parts on either side of a 水 (water) part: two people fleeing with their backs to a flood.