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憎恶 (zēng wù) — to abhor; to loathe; to detest

Definition

Strong literary verb meaning 'to loathe, detest' — more intense than 讨厌 (HSK3) and written/elevated in register. Used in formal writing and speeches rather than everyday conversation.

verb
to abhorto loatheto detest

Examples

  • 憎恶。
    Wǒ fēi cháng zēng wù zhè zhǒng xū wěi de xíng wéi.
    I absolutely loathe this kind of hypocritical behavior.
  • 憎恶。
    Tā zēng wù bào lì diàn yǐng.
    She detests violent movies.
  • 憎恶。
    Tā zēng wù qī piàn péng you de rén.
    He abhors people who deceive their friends.

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
恶èdetest

"憎" and "恶" both express hatred, so together they intensify to mean abhor.

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.

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 →
Appears in
Emotions & Feelings

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