恶运 (è yùn) — bad luck, misfortune

Definition

Bad luck, misfortune — a misfortune in one's life or fate. Compare with 命运 (mìngyùn, 'fate / destiny'), which is neutral and refers to one's overall life course rather than unlucky events.

noun
bad luckmisfortune
Easily confused

Examples

  • 恶运，。
    Tā tū rán zāo yù è yùn, gōng sī yě dǎo bì le.
    He suddenly encountered misfortune, and his company went bankrupt too.
  • 恶运，。
    Yí piàn è yùn zhōng, tā réng rán bǎo chí lè guān.
    In the midst of misfortune, she still remained optimistic.
  • 恶运。
    Bié ràng yì shí de è yùn dǎ kuǎ nǐ.
    Don't let a moment of misfortune defeat you.

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.

恶èbad
运yùnluck

恶 (bad) and 运 (luck) combine into bad luck or misfortune.

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.

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.

Open 恶 →

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 運; 运 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辵辵chuòmotion
Sound part声符shēngfú
軍
軍jūn運yùn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 運 combines 辵, meaning motion, with 軍 to give the sound; the simplified 运 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 运 →

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