TongTong
Sign in

厉害 (lì hai) — amazing, outstanding, impressive (of a person's ability or skill); intense, severe, terrible (of weather, illness, flavor, etc.)

Definition

Slang-leaning praise for impressive skill ('amazing, awesome!'), also used for harsh weather, pain, or spice. Slang sense overlaps with 神 and 猛; 严 / 苛刻 / 严峻 are for strict people or conditions, not skill.

adjective
amazingoutstandingimpressive (of a person's ability or skill)intensesevereterrible (of weather, illness, flavor, etc.)

Examples

  • 厉害，。
    Tā zhēn de hěn lì hai, shén me dōu huì xiū.
    He's really amazing; he can fix anything.
  • 厉害，。
    Jīn tiān de fēng hǎo lì hai, chà diǎn bǎ wǒ chuī dǎo.
    Today's wind is so strong it almost blew me over.
  • 厉害，。
    Zhè dào cài tài lì hai le, là dé wǒ zhí liú hàn.
    This dish is so intense it's making me sweat from the spice.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

厉lìsevere
害hàiharm

厉 and 害 both suggest severity or harm, so together they mean intense or formidable.

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 厲; 厉 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
厂厂chǎng
Sound part声符shēngfú
蠆
蠆chài厲lì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 厲 uses 厂 for meaning and 蠆 for sound; 厉 is not the form whose parts are being described.

Open 厉 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀mián
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
丯
丯jiè害hài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

害 was borrowed purely for its sound. Its old picture, possibly a house rafter, is unrelated to harm.

Open 害 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4HSK 2.0 Level 4Good & Bad2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 4 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.