讹 (é) — to blackmail, to extort; (literary) erroneous, mistaken

Definition

Literary verb meaning to blackmail or extort (money, property) through threats or false claims. As a literary adjective it also means 'erroneous, mistaken,' but in modern usage the verb sense dominates.

verb
to blackmailto extort(literary) erroneousmistaken
Easily confused

Examples

  • 讹。
    Tā bèi rén é le yì bǐ qián.
    He was blackmailed for a sum of money.
  • 。
    Zhè ge piàn zi xiǎng é zhà lǎo rén.
    This swindler wanted to extort the elderly.
  • 讹。
    Tā shì tú é wǒ.
    He tried to extort me.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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 訛; 讹 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeech
Sound part声符shēngfú
化
化huà訛é
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 訛 pairs 言, speech, with 化 as the sound part; the simplified 讹 is a later shorthand.

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