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憎恨 (zēng hèn) — to hate, to detest

Definition

A formal, written word for 'hate, detest' — stronger and more literary than the everyday 讨厌, often used for injustice or cruelty rather than minor annoyances.

verb
to hateto detest

Examples

  • 憎恨。
    Tā fēi cháng zēng hèn nà xiē qī piàn tā rén de rén.
    He deeply hates those who deceive others.
  • 憎恨。
    Tā zēng hèn zhè zhǒng bù gōng píng de dài yù.
    She detests this kind of unfair treatment.
  • 憎恨。
    Rén men zēng hèn zhàn zhēng dài lái de tòng kǔ.
    People hate the suffering brought by war.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

憎zēnghate
恨hènhate

Both 憎 and 恨 mean hate, so together they express strong hatred.

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
忄Written in full as心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
曾
曾céng憎zēng
Same sound today

The left part 忄, the heart, marks a feeling; the right part 曾 gives the sound.

Open 憎 →

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; thought; emotion
Sound part声符shēngfú
艮
艮gèn恨hèn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 忄 is the heart, pointing to an emotion such as regret or hate. The right side 艮 supplies the sound.

Open 恨 →
Appears in
Emotions & Feelings

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