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始作俑者 (shǐ zuò yǒng zhě) — originator of a bad practice or precedent; the one who started a harmful trend

Definition

Literally 'the first to make clay burial figurines,' it labels the person who invented a harmful practice — strong condemnation. Use it for blame, never for praise.

noun
originator of a bad practice or precedentthe one who started a harmful trend

Examples

  • 始作俑者。
    Tā shì zhè cì jīn róng wēi jī de shǐ zuò yǒng zhě.
    He is the originator of this financial crisis.
  • 始作俑者。
    Zhè zhǒng bù liáng fēng qì de shǐ zuò yǒng zhě yīng gāi shòu dào qiǎn zé.
    The originator of this bad atmosphere should be condemned.
  • 始作俑者，。
    Zuò wéi zhè zhǒng cuò wù zuò fǎ de shǐ zuò yǒng zhě, tā nán cí qí jiù.
    As the originator of this wrong practice, he cannot escape blame.

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
女女nǚwoman
Sound part声符shēngfú
台
台tái始shǐ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

始 is made of 女 (woman) and 台, which gives the sound.

Open 始 →

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
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
乍
乍zhà作zuò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 亻 comes from 人, meaning 'person', and the right side 乍 gives the sound.

Open 作 →

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
人人rénhuman
Sound part声符shēngfú
用
用yòng俑yǒng
Same sound today

俑 pairs 人, the human radical, with 用 as its sound component.

Open 俑 →

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

The form 者 originally drew a sugarcane with full stems, small points around it, and an open smiling mouth at the bottom.

Open 者 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesPeople (General)

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