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怨恨 (yuàn hèn) — (verb) to resent, to harbor a grudge against; (noun) resentment, rancor

Definition

怨恨 (yuànhèn) is a strong, enduring grudge — both the feeling and the act of harboring it. Stronger than 讨厌 (mere dislike) and more long-held than 怨 (a passing blame/complaint).

verb
to resentto harbor a grudge against
noun
resentmentrancor

Examples

  • 怨恨。
    Tā yīn shòu dào bù gōng zhèng duì dài ér yuàn hèn gōng sī.
    He resents the company because of unfair treatment.
  • 怨恨。
    Tā de xīn zhōng chōng mǎn le duì guò qù de yuàn hèn.
    His heart is filled with resentment towards the past.
  • 怨恨，。
    Bié zài wéi nà jiàn shì yuàn hèn le, yǐ jīng guò qù le.
    Don't resent that matter anymore; it's already in the past.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

怨yuànresentment
恨hènhate

怨 and 恨 both express deep dislike, so together they mean resentment or to resent.

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
夗
夗wǎn怨yuàn
Same sound today

怨 has 心 (heart) below and 夗 above as a sound part; the heart part shows the meaning concerns feelings.

Open 怨 →

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
忄Written in full as心xīnheart; thought; emotion
Sound part声符shēngfú
艮
艮gèn恨hèn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 忄 is the heart, pointing to an emotion such as regret or hate. The right side 艮 supplies the sound.

Open 恨 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Emotions & Feelings

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.