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毫不留情 (háo bù liú qíng) — relentless, ruthless, showing no mercy

Definition

An emphatic set phrase meaning 'showing no mercy' — stronger and more literary than simply 无情. Used in writing or to dramatize criticism, attacks, or satire.

verb
relentlessruthlessshowing no mercy

Examples

  • 毫不留情。
    Tā duì xià shǔ de cuò wù pī píng dé háo bù liú qíng.
    He criticized his subordinates' mistakes relentlessly.
  • 毫不留情。
    Duì shǒu zài bǐ sài zhōng fā qǐ le háo bù liú qíng de gōng jī.
    The opponent launched a relentless attack during the match.
  • 毫不留情。
    Zhè piān píng lùn duì diàn yǐng jìn xíng le háo bù liú qíng de fěng cì.
    This review satirized the movie ruthlessly.

Origin

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.

The written form 毫 is built from 高 and 毛.

Open 毫 →

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

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

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
田田tiánfield
Sound part声符shēngfú
卯
卯mǎo留liú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

留 combines 田 (field) with 卯, which gives the sound.

Open 留 →

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
青
青qīng情qíng
Same sound today

情 shows 心 (heart) beside 青, which gives the sound. The heart part points to feelings and inner states.

Open 情 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesPersonality & Traits

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