洪水猛兽 (hóng shuǐ měng shòu) — (idiom) great scourge; something extremely dangerous and harmful

Definition

An idiom painting an extreme threat: 'floods and fierce beasts' — used for anything (a technology, an idea, a policy) feared as devastating and savage.

idiom
great scourgesomething extremely dangerous and harmful

Examples

  • ，洪水猛兽。
    Zài yǒu xiē rén kàn lái, hù lián wǎng jiù xiàng hóng shuǐ měng shòu yí yàng kě pà.
    In some people's eyes, the internet is as terrifying as floods and fierce beasts.
  • 洪水猛兽。
    Zhàn zhēng duì pǔ tōng bǎi xìng lái shuō wú yì yú hóng shuǐ měng shòu.
    War is no different from a great scourge for ordinary people.
  • 洪水猛兽，。
    Tā men bǎ xīn de sī xiǎng shì wéi hóng shuǐ měng shòu, jiān jué fǎn duì.
    They regarded the new ideas as a terrible scourge and firmly opposed them.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

洪水flood
洪hóngflood水shuǐwater
偏正Modifier + head
猛兽fierce beast
猛měngfierce兽shòubeast
偏正Modifier + head

洪水 means flood and 猛兽 means fierce beast, placed side by side for great scourges.

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
共
共gòng洪hóng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

洪 is built from 水 (water) and 共 (gòng), with 共 giving the sound.

Open 洪 →

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

水 is a simple drawing of water flowing.

Open 水 →

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
犬犬quǎn
Sound part声符shēngfú
孟
孟mèng猛
Same sound today

猛 pairs 犬 (dog) with 孟, and 孟 gives the sound.

Open 猛 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 獸; 兽 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 獸 combines 單 (hunting weapon) and 犬 (dog) to show hunting; the simplified 兽 is a shorthand.

Open 兽 →

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