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凶兆 (xiōng zhào) — ill omen, bad omen

Definition

noun
ill omenbad omen

Examples

  • 凶兆，。
    Gǔ dài rén hěn xiāng xìn xiōng zhào, rèn wéi tā yù shì zāi nàn.
    Ancient people firmly believed in ill omens, thinking they predicted disasters.
  • 凶兆，。
    Chū xiàn zhè zhǒng xiōng zhào, ràng dà jiā dōu hěn dān xīn.
    The appearance of this bad omen made everyone very worried.
  • 凶兆，。
    Tā bù jué dé zhè shì xiōng zhào, zhǐ shì qiǎo hé ér yǐ.
    He doesn't think it's a bad omen, just a coincidence.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

凶xiōngominous
兆zhàoomen

凶 “ominous” describes 兆 “omen,” giving an ill omen.

Characters in this word

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

凶 originally drew a hole with a lump of rock, mud, stone, or bamboo in it.

Open 凶 →

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

The form 兆 shows two 人 (person) parts on either side of a 水 (water) part: two people fleeing with their backs to a flood.

Open 兆 →
Appears in
Abstract ConceptsMythology & Folklore

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