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恼羞成怒 (nǎo xiū chéng nù) — to fly into a rage out of humiliation; to become angry from shame

Definition

Idiom meaning 'humiliation turns into rage' — a person, shamed or contradicted, erupts in anger as a defensive reaction. Stronger than 面红耳赤, which only describes visible flushing; 恼羞成怒 names the full emotional turn to fury.

phrase
to fly into a rage out of humiliationto become angry from shame

Examples

  • ，恼羞成怒，。
    Dāng zhòng bèi zhǐ chū cuò wù hòu, tā nǎo xiū chéng nù, dà shēng fǎn bó.
    After being publicly corrected, he flew into a rage out of humiliation and loudly retorted.
  • 恼羞成怒，。
    Tā yīn wèi shū diào le bǐ sài ér nǎo xiū chéng nù, bǎ qiú pāi shuāi zài dì shàng.
    She became angry from shame after losing the match and threw her racket on the ground.
  • 恼羞成怒，。
    Lǎo bǎn bèi yuán gōng zhì yí hòu nǎo xiū chéng nù, dāng chǎng xuān bù kāi chú tā.
    The boss, after being questioned by an employee, flew into a rage out of humiliation and announced his dismissal on the spot.

Origin

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 恼 →

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
羊羊yáng
Sound part声符shēngfú
丑
丑chǒu羞xiū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

羞 is built from 羊, a sheep, as the meaning part, and 丑 for the sound.

Open 羞 →

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
戊戊wù
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng成chéng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

成 puts 戊, a weapon, beside 丁, which gives the sound. The weapon part relates to protection, as in the old sense of city walls.

Open 成 →

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
奴
奴nú怒nù
Same sound today

怒 pairs 心 (heart) with 奴, which is used for its sound rather than its meaning of slave.

Open 怒 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Emotions & FeelingsIdioms & Set Phrases

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