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恶报 (è bào) — retribution for evil deeds; karmic punishment

Definition

恶报 (èbào) names the punishment a wrongdoer receives as a karmic consequence of their evil deeds, tied to the Buddhist 因果 framework. It pairs naturally with 善报 (good karmic reward) in sayings like 恶有恶报.

noun
retribution for evil deedskarmic punishment

Examples

  • ，恶报。
    Tā zuò le nà me duō huài shì, zuì zhōng dé dào le è bào.
    He did so many bad things and eventually received retribution.
  • 恶报，。
    Fó jiào xiāng xìn yīn guǒ è bào, shàn yǒu shàn bào.
    Buddhism believes in karmic retribution — good deeds bring good results.
  • “恶报”，。
    Rén men cháng shuō "è yǒu è bào", quàn rén bú yào zuò è.
    People often say 'evil will be repaid with evil' to advise others not to do wrong.

Origin

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.

恶èevil
报bàoretribution

恶 marks evil, and 报 marks the retribution that follows.

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.

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.

Open 恶 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 報; 报 is its simplified writing.

  • 㚔㚔㚔handcuffs
  • 𠬝𠬝𠬝to subdue

The traditional form 報 puts 㚔 (handcuffs) beside 𠬝 (to subdue), showing someone restrained and subdued, as in convicting or punishing a guilty person. The simplified 报 is a later shorthand.

Open 报 →
Appears in
Religion & Belief

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