怒骂 (nù mà) — to curse furiously | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

怒骂 is an emphatic verb meaning 'to curse furiously' — combines 怒 (anger) with 骂 (scold) to stress both the rage and the verbal attack. Use it for heated, loud outbursts, not mild scolding.

verb

to curse furiously

Examples

怒骂。
Tā yīn wèi bèi piàn ér nù mà bù zhǐ.
He cursed unceasingly because he was cheated.
怒骂。
Fù qīn qì dé pāi zhuō nù mà.
Father was so angry he slammed the table and cursed.
怒骂，。
Jiē biān liǎng rén nù mà qǐ lái, xī yǐn le bù shǎo lù rén wéi guān.
Two people on the street started cursing each other, attracting many bystanders.

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.

怒 brings anger to 骂, so the action is cursing furiously.

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.

心奴怒

Meaning part形符xíngfú

心心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

奴

奴nú怒nù

Same sound today

怒 pairs 心 (heart) with 奴, which is used for its sound rather than its meaning of slave.

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 罵; 骂 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

馬

馬mǎ罵mà

Same sound today

The traditional form 罵 uses 网 (a net) for the meaning and 馬 for the sound; the simplified 骂 is a later shorthand.

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