恶疾 (è jí) — a severe or malignant disease (often incurable…

Definition

noun

a severe or malignant disease (often incurable or hard to treat)

恶疾，。
Tā duō nián qián huàn shàng yì zhǒng è jí, zhì jīn réng wèi quán yù.
He contracted a severe disease many years ago and hasn't recovered yet.
恶疾。
Zhè zhǒng è jí zài zǎo qī hěn nán bèi fā xiàn.
This malignant disease is very hard to detect in its early stage.
，恶疾。
Xiàn dài yī xué kě yǐ zhì yù yì xiē guò qù de bú zhì zhī zhèng, dàn bú shì suǒ yǒu è jí dōu néng bèi kè fú.
Modern medicine can cure some previously incurable diseases, but not all severe diseases can be overcome.

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.

疾jídisease

恶 gives the foul or severe sense, and 疾 names disease.

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.

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

疒大疾

疾 combines 疒, showing illness, with a form showing an arrow flying toward a person, giving the sense of fast.