TongTong
Sign in

阴险 (yīn xiǎn) — (of a person or their actions) insidious, treacherous

Definition

阴险 (yīnxiǎn) means 'insidious, treacherous' — it describes a person, motive, or method that is secretly harmful, not openly aggressive. Stronger and more literary than everyday words for 'bad'.

adjective
(of a person or their actions) insidioustreacherous

Examples

  • 阴险，。
    Nà ge shāng rén shǒu duàn fēi cháng yīn xiǎn, bù kě qīng xìn.
    That businessman's methods are very insidious; you can't trust him easily.
  • 阴险，。
    Tā zǒng shì yí fù yīn xiǎn de yàng zi, ràng rén gǎn dào bù ān.
    He always looks treacherous, making people feel uneasy.
  • 阴险。
    Diàn yǐng de yīn xiǎn fǎn pài zuì zhōng shòu dào le chéng fá.
    The insidious villain in the movie was finally punished.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

阴yīnsinister
险xiǎndangerous

The senses of 阴 and 险, dark or sinister and dangerous or treacherous, combine to describe hidden harm.

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 陰; 阴 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阜阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
侌
侌yīn陰yīn
Same sound today

The traditional form 陰 combines 阜, the meaning part, with 侌, the sound part. The simplified 阴 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical pieces.

Open 阴 →

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 險; 险 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阝Written in full as阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
僉
僉qiān險
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 險 pairs 阝, written in full as 阜, with 僉, which gives the sound; the simplified 险 is a shorthand.

Open 险 →
Appears in
Personality & Traits

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.