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癫狂 (diān kuáng) — (adjective) insane, demented; (adjective) wild, frivolous, out of control

Definition

Used for extreme mental states — clinical 'mania' (a TCM term for a mood disorder) or wildly irrational behavior. Stronger and more literary than everyday 疯狂.

adjective
insanedementedwildfrivolousout of control

Examples

  • 癫狂，。
    Tā zuì jìn xíng wéi diān kuáng, ràng jiā rén fēi cháng dān xīn.
    His recent behavior has been insane, making his family very worried.
  • 癫狂。
    Zhōng yī rèn wéi diān kuáng shǔ yú qíng zhì bìng de yì zhǒng.
    Traditional Chinese medicine considers mania a type of emotional disorder.
  • 癫狂。
    Tā nà zhǒng diān kuáng de jǔ dòng ràng suǒ yǒu rén dōu jīng dāi le.
    His wild behavior stunned everyone.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

癫diāninsane
狂kuángmad

癫 and 狂 both convey madness, so together they mean insane or wildly out of control.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 癲; 癫 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
疒疒nèillness
Sound part声符shēngfú
顛
顛diān癲diān
Same sound today

The traditional form 癲 uses 疒 (illness) for meaning and 顛 for sound; the simplified 癫 is a later shorthand.

Open 癫 →

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
犭Written in full as犬quǎndog
Sound part声符shēngfú
㞷
㞷㞷狂kuáng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

狂 pairs 犭 (dog) with 㞷, which gives the sound; 㞷 is an old form of a character meaning 'to go'.

Open 狂 →
Appears in
Mental Health

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