恶臭 (è chòu) — stench, foul smell | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A strong, foul stench — stronger and more literary than everyday 臭, used in writing or for especially offensive smells (rotting waste, decay).

noun

stenchfoul smell

Measure word · 股

恶臭。
Lā jī duī sàn fā chū yì gǔ è chòu.
The garbage pile gives off a stench.
恶臭。
Xià shuǐ dào de è chòu ràng rén wú fǎ rěn shòu.
The stench from the sewer is unbearable.
恶臭。
Fáng jiān lǐ mí màn zhe fǔ làn de è chòu.
The room is filled with the stench of decay.

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 means foul and 臭 means smell, together giving a foul smell.

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.

犬自臭

臭 combines 自 (nose) and 犬 (dog), referring to a dog's strong sense of smell; it originally meant 'to smell'.

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