遭殃 (zāo yāng) — to suffer a disaster, to be hit by a calamity
Definition
遭殃 focuses on being struck by disaster or bad consequences — the suffering is total and falls on someone as their fate. Unlike 受害 (harm to a person) or 遭受 (sustain a specific loss), 殃 is broader: crops, families, bystanders all "get hit."
verb
to suffer a disasterto be hit by a calamity
Examples
- ,遭殃。Nà nián dà hàn, zhuāng jia quán dōu zāo yāng le.That year there was a severe drought, and all the crops suffered.
- ,遭殃。Tā tóu zī shī bài, quán jiā gēn zhe zāo yāng.His investment failed, and the whole family suffered as a result.
- ,遭殃。Rú guǒ bù zūn shǒu jiāo tōng guī zé, chí zǎo huì zāo yāng.If you don't follow traffic rules, you'll eventually get into trouble.
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