害人不浅 (hài rén bù qiǎn) — to do great harm to people; to be very harmful

Definition

A chengyu used to condemn something that causes serious, far-reaching harm to people. Stronger than simply saying 'harmful' — it emphasizes deep, lasting damage.

idiom
to do great harm to peopleto be very harmful

Examples

  • 害人不浅，。
    Zhè ge huài xí guàn zhēn shì hài rén bù qiǎn, nǐ yí dìng yào gǎi diào.
    This bad habit really does great harm — you must get rid of it.
  • 害人不浅，。
    Wǎng shàng nà xiē yáo yán hài rén bù qiǎn, qiān wàn bié xìn.
    Those rumors online do great harm — don't believe them.
  • 害人不浅，。
    Tā dāng chū de cuò wù jué dìng hài rén bù qiǎn, hài dé gōng sī sǔn shī cǎn zhòng.
    His wrong decision back then did great harm, causing the company heavy losses.

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.

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀mián
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
丯
丯jiè害hài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

害 was borrowed purely for its sound. Its old picture, possibly a house rafter, is unrelated to harm.

Open 害 →

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

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →

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

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 淺; 浅 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
戔
戔jiān淺qiǎn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 淺 pairs 氵 (water) with 戔 to give the sound; 浅 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 浅 →

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