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活该 (huó gāi) — (colloquial) serves someone right, deserved (of a negative outcome)

Definition

活该 (huó gāi) is a colloquial exclamation meaning 'serves (someone) right' — used when a bad outcome is deserved. Unlike 该, it is a fixed expression of gloating, not a modal verb like 应该.

verb
(colloquial) serves someone rightdeserved (of a negative outcome)

Examples

  • ，，活该！
    Tā zǒng shì bù tīng quàn, xiàn zài chū shì le, huó gāi!
    He never listens to advice — now something happened, serves him right!
  • ，活该。
    Nǐ kǎo shì qián bú fù xí, kǎo bù hǎo yě huó gāi.
    You didn't review before the exam, so you deserve to do poorly.
  • ，活该。
    Tā piàn le nà me duō rén, huó gāi méi rén zài xiāng xìn tā.
    He cheated so many people — it serves him right that no one trusts him anymore.

Origin

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.

活huótruly
该gāideserve

Truly and deserve combine to say a bad result is deserved.

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠯑
𠯑𠯑活huó
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

活 is built from 氵 (water) and 𠯑, which shows the sound; 𠯑 later changed into 舌.

Open 活 →

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 該; 该 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
亥
亥hài該gāi
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 該 pairs 言 (speech) with 亥 as a sound part; the simplified 该 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 该 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Attitudes & Opinions

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