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险恶 (xiǎn è) — (of conditions) dangerous; perilous; (of intentions or people) sinister; treacherous

Definition

险恶 covers two ideas in one word: 'perilous' conditions (roads, weather, situations) and 'sinister' intentions (people, motives). The 人/心 sense — evil designs hidden behind a friendly face — is the meaning that has no English single-word match.

adjective
(of conditions) dangerousperilous(of intentions or people) sinistertreacherous

Examples

  • 险恶，。
    Zhè lǐ de shān lù shí fēn xiǎn è, nǐ yào xiǎo xīn.
    The mountain road here is very perilous — you need to be careful.
  • 险恶。
    Dà jiā dōu méi kàn chū tā de xiǎn è yòng xīn.
    Nobody saw through his sinister intentions.
  • 险恶，。
    Suī rán xíng shì xiǎn è, dàn tā men méi yǒu fàng qì.
    Although the situation was dangerous, they did not give up.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

险xiǎndangerous
恶èevil

险 contributes danger or peril, and 恶 contributes evil or ill intent.

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 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 →

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 惡; 恶 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
亞
亞yā惡è
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 惡 pairs 心 (heart) as the meaning part with 亞 (yā) as the sound part; the simplified 恶 is a later shorthand.

Open 恶 →
Appears in
Good & BadSafety & Danger

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