恶习 (è xí) — bad habit; vice | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

bad habitvice

Measure word · 种

恶习。
Tā gǎi diào le zhè ge è xí.
He got rid of this bad habit.
恶习。
Xī yān shì wēi hài jiàn kāng de è xí.
Smoking is a bad habit that harms health.
恶习。
Dǔ bó shì yì zhǒng shè huì è xí.
Gambling is a social vice.

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.

恶 (bad) and 习 (habit) combine to mean a harmful habit.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 惡; 恶 is its simplified writing.

亞心惡

Meaning part形符xíngfú

心心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

亞

亞yā惡è

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 惡 pairs 心 (heart) as the meaning part with 亞 (yā) as the sound part; the simplified 恶 is a later shorthand.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 習; 习 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 習 pairs 羽 (wings) with 日 (sun), showing a bird learning to fly; the simplified 习 is a later shorthand.

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