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地狱 (dì yù) — hell; (Buddhism) the underworld, Naraka

Definition

noun
hell(Buddhism) the underworldNaraka
Easily confused

Examples

  • ，地狱。
    Chuán shuō zhōng, dì yù shì yí gè chōng mǎn tòng kǔ de dì fāng.
    In legend, hell is a place full of suffering.
  • 。
    Nà jiā gōng sī de gōng zuò huán jìng jiǎn zhí shì rén jiān dì yù.
    That company's work environment is a living hell.
  • 地狱，。
    Fó jiào zhōng de dì yù fēn wéi duō zhǒng, rú bā rè dì yù.
    In Buddhism, hell is divided into many types, such as the Eight Hot Hells.

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.

地dìearth; ground
狱yùprison

A 狱 (prison) of the 地 (earth or underworld) means hell.

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
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
也
也yě地dì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

地 is built from 土 (earth) and 也, which gives its sound.

Open 地 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 獄; 狱 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 獄 pairs 㹜 (two dog forms) with 言 (words), showing dogs barking at each other in a jail with guard dogs. The simplified 狱 is a later shorthand.

Open 狱 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Mythology & FolkloreReligion & Belief2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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