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罪孽 (zuì niè) — sin; wrongdoing; retribution (as a consequence of sin)

Definition

A Buddhist and literary term for 'sin' or the karmic burden it creates — heavier and more fate-laden than the everyday 罪, which is just the legal or moral offense itself.

noun
sinwrongdoingretribution (as a consequence of sin)

Examples

  • 罪孽，。
    Tā yì shēng zuò le xǔ duō zuì niè, zuì zhōng dé dào le bào yìng.
    He committed many sins in his life and eventually received retribution.
  • 罪孽。
    Fó jiào rèn wéi shā shēng shì jí dà de zuì niè.
    Buddhism considers killing living beings a great sin.
  • ，。
    Tā shēn gǎn zuì niè shēn zhòng, jué dìng chū jiā xiū xíng.
    He felt his sins were heavy and decided to become a monk to cultivate.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

罪zuìsin
孽nièevil

罪 and 孽 both carry the idea of wrongdoing, giving a sense of sin or its consequence.

Characters in this word

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

罪 puts 罒 (a net, written fully as 网) over 非 (mistake).

Open 罪 →

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
子子zǐchild
Sound part声符shēngfú
薛
薛xuē孽niè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

孽 uses 子 to show it is about a child, and 薛 to give its sound.

Open 孽 →
Appears in
Religion & Belief

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