蛊惑人心 (gǔ huò rén xīn) — (idiom) to stir up public opinion and poison people's minds; to demagogue

Definition

Idiom meaning to use lies or rhetoric to mislead and corrupt people's minds (e.g. propaganda, demagoguery). Carries a strong negative judgment — the speaker condemns the act.

idiom
to stir up public opinion and poison people's mindsto demagogue

Examples

  • 蛊惑人心，。
    Yì xiē bù fǎ fèn zǐ zài wǎng shàng gǔ huò rén xīn, zhì zào kǒng huāng.
    Some lawbreakers are stirring up public opinion online to create panic.
  • 蛊惑人心，。
    Tā de yǎn jiǎng míng xiǎn shì zài gǔ huò rén xīn, ér bú shì tí chū jiàn shè xìng yì jiàn.
    His speech was clearly aimed at demagoguery, not at offering constructive suggestions.
  • 蛊惑人心。
    Méi tǐ yīng dāng bì miǎn fā bù gǔ huò rén xīn de nèi róng.
    The media should avoid publishing content that poisons people's minds.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

蛊惑bewitch and confuse
蛊gǔbewitch惑huòconfuse
联合Side by side
人心people's hearts
人rénpeople心xīnheart
偏正Modifier + head

蛊惑, to bewitch and confuse, and 人心, people's hearts, together describe poisoning minds.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 蠱; 蛊 is its simplified writing.

  • 蟲蟲chónginsects
  • 皿皿mǐncontainer

The traditional form 蠱 shows 蟲 (insects) and 皿 (container): poisonous insects raised in a container.

Open 蛊 →

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
或
或huò惑huò
Same sound today

惑 uses 或 for the sound and 心, the heart, for the meaning.

Open 惑 →

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

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →

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

The shape of 心 comes from a drawing of a heart, now highly stylized.

Open 心 →

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