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孽 (niè) — (bound form) monster, demon; evil spirit; (bound form) sin, evil deed, wrongdoing; (bound form, archaic) illegitimate child; seed of evil

Definition

孽 (niè) is a bound root in literary/Buddhist words for evil karma — it almost never stands alone. Most learners meet it in set compounds like 造孽 ('commit sins') and 罪孽 ('sin, wrongdoing').

bound form
monsterdemonevil spiritsinevil deedwrongdoing(bound form, archaic) illegitimate childseed of evil

Examples

  • 孽，。
    Tā yì shēng zào niè wú shù, zuì zhōng shòu dào le chéng fá.
    He committed countless sins and was finally punished.
  • 孽。
    Zhè bù xiǎo shuō miáo xiě le yí gè niè zhàng shēn zhòng de rén.
    This novel depicts a person weighed down by heavy evil.
  • ，孽。
    Fó jiào jiǎng yīn guǒ, zào niè bì yǒu bào yìng.
    Buddhism teaches karma — if you commit evil deeds, retribution will follow.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
子子zǐchild
Sound part声符shēngfú
薛
薛xuē孽niè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

孽 uses 子 to show it is about a child, and 薛 to give its sound.

Appears in
Mythology & Folklore

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