痛骂 (tòng mà) — to scold severely; to reprimand harshly | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

痛骂 (tòngmà) means to scold harshly and angrily — 'bawl out' or 'berate', stronger and more emotional than a plain 骂. It emphasizes the force and public, often heated nature of the rebuke.

verb

to scold severelyto reprimand harshly

Examples

痛骂。
Tā bèi lǎo bǎn dāng zhòng tòng mà le yí dùn.
He was scolded severely by the boss in public.
痛骂。
Nà ge piàn zi bèi dà jiā tòng mà dé bù gǎn zài lái le.
The liar was scolded so harshly that he didn't dare come again.
痛骂。
Zhè zhǒng è liè xíng wéi yīng gāi shòu dào tòng mà.
This kind of vile behavior deserves severe condemnation.

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.

痛tòngseverely

痛 gives severely and 骂 gives scold, so the word means to scold harshly.

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.

疒甬痛

Meaning part形符xíngfú

疒疒nèillness

Sound part声符shēngfú

甬

甬yǒng痛tòng

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

The 疒 part means illness, and 甬 gives the sound; together they form 痛, meaning pain or hurt.

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 罵; 骂 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

馬

馬mǎ罵mà

Same sound today

The traditional form 罵 uses 网 (a net) for the meaning and 馬 for the sound; the simplified 骂 is a later shorthand.

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.