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口角 (kǒu jiǎo) — quarrel; dispute (formal, literary)

Definition

A formal/literary noun for a quarrel or dispute, typically used in writing or reports. More elevated than everyday words like 吵架.

noun
quarreldispute (formal, literary)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 口角。
    Tā men zhī jiān fā shēng le yì chǎng jī liè de kǒu jiǎo.
    They had a fierce quarrel between them.
  • 口角。
    Zhè cì kǒu jiǎo shì yīn wèi xiǎo shì yǐn qǐ de.
    This quarrel was caused by a small matter.
  • 口角。
    Tā jǐn liàng bì miǎn yǔ tóng shì fā shēng kǒu jiǎo.
    He tries to avoid having quarrels with colleagues.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

口kǒumouth
角jiǎocontend

The 口 (mouth) and 角 (contend) picture mouths wrangling over words.

Characters in this word

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

The form 口 looks like an open mouth.

Open 口 →

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

The form 角 is a picture of a horn.

Open 角 →
Appears in
Conflict & Agreement

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