吓 (xià) — to scare, to frighten
Definition
吓 (xià) means 'to scare / frighten' and takes a direct object (someone or something). Unlike 害怕 (to be afraid), 吓 is the act of causing fear — see also the more colloquial 吓唬, usually intentional or playful.
verb
to scareto frighten
Examples
- 吓，。Bié xià tā, tā zhǐ shì gè hái zi.Don't scare him, he's just a child.
- 吓。Zhè jiàn shì bǎ wǒ xià le yí tiào.This matter gave me a scare.
- 吓。Zhè zhǒng shēng yīn néng xià sǐ rén.This kind of sound can scare people to death.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
吓 is built from 口 (mouth) and 下, which gives the sound; the mouth part marks a meaning connected with the mouth.
Appears in
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