母夜叉 (mǔ yè chā) — (derogatory) shrew, vixen, harpy — a fierce or…

Definition

A derogatory literary term for a fierce, mean-tempered woman — a stronger, more insulting label than everyday 泼妇. Best avoided in polite speech.

noun

(derogatory) shrew, vixen, harpy — a fierce or mean-tempered woman

Measure word · 个

母夜叉，。
Tā qián qī shì gè diǎn xíng de mǔ yè chā, dòng bu dòng jiù pò kǒu dà mà.
His ex-wife is a typical shrew who flies into a rage at the slightest provocation.
母夜叉。
Zhè chū xì lǐ de huáng hòu bèi sù zào chéng yí gè chī rén de mǔ yè chā.
The queen in this play is portrayed as a man-eating vixen.
母夜叉，。
Bié zài nǐ tóng shì bèi hòu jiào tā mǔ yè chā, zhè tài shāng rén le.
Don't call your coworker a shrew behind her back — it's too hurtful.

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.

夜叉

母 means female, and 夜叉 names a fierce spirit, so the word describes a fierce woman.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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

夕夕xīmoon

Sound part声符shēngfú

亦

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

The form 夜 pairs 亦 as a sound part with 夕 as a moon part, for night. In the modern shape, the 亦 part is broken up and one stroke merges into 夕.

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

又丶叉

The form 叉 is made by combining 又 with the dot stroke 丶.