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可耻 (kě chǐ) — shameful, disgraceful

Definition

Describes a behavior or act that is shameful — a strong moral judgment of the action itself, not the person's inner feeling. Contrast with 羞耻 and 惭愧, which name the feeling of being ashamed; 无耻 means 'shameless,' a person who feels no shame.

adjective
shamefuldisgraceful

Examples

  • 可耻。
    Làng fèi liáng shi shì yì zhǒng kě chǐ de xíng wéi.
    Wasting food is a shameful act.
  • 可耻。
    Tā yīn wèi chāo xí lùn wén ér gǎn dào kě chǐ.
    He felt ashamed because he plagiarized his thesis.
  • 可耻。
    Zài gōng gòng chǎng hé dà shēng xuān huá shì hěn kě chǐ de.
    It's very disgraceful to make loud noise in public places.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
前缀qiánzhuìPrefix

A fixed syllable in front that adds a shade of meaning but carries none of its own.

可kěworthy of
耻chǐshame

可 suggests deserving shame, and 耻 means shame, so the whole means disgraceful.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
丂
丂kǎo可kě
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

可 pairs 口 (mouth) with 丂 as a sound part; it is tied to air from the mouth, perhaps singing.

Open 可 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
耳耳ěr
Sound part声符shēngfú
止
止zhǐ耻chǐ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

耻 is written with 耳 (ear) on the left and 止 on the right. Here 止 gives the sound, while 耳 is the meaning part.

Open 耻 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Good & Bad

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