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奇耻大辱 (qí chǐ dà rǔ) — extraordinary shame and humiliation; a deep disgrace

Definition

A chengyu meaning 'an extraordinary, unforgivable disgrace' — stronger than 耻辱 on its own, emphasizing how rare and heavy the shame is. Used in formal writing about history, national affairs, or grave personal defeats.

idiom
extraordinary shame and humiliationa deep disgrace

Examples

  • 奇耻大辱。
    Zhè cì shī bài duì tā lái shuō zhēn shì qí chǐ dà rǔ.
    This failure is truly a great humiliation for him.
  • 奇耻大辱。
    Lì shǐ shàng de qí chǐ dà rǔ tí xǐng wǒ men yào zhēn xī hé píng.
    The great humiliations in history remind us to cherish peace.
  • 奇耻大辱，。
    Tā rěn shòu le nà yàng de qí chǐ dà rǔ, zhēn shì bù róng yì.
    He endured such a great humiliation — it was really not easy.

Origin

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
大大dàbig; great
Sound part声符shēngfú
可
可kě奇
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

奇 pairs 大 (big; great) with 可, a sound part.

Open 奇 →

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 →

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

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →

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

辱 combines 辰, drawn as a hoe, with 寸, drawn as a hand.

Open 辱 →
Appears in
Emotions & FeelingsIdioms & Set Phrases

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