慑 (shè) — to intimidate, to awe, to deter

Definition

Bound form used inside set phrases (威慑, 震慑) meaning to intimidate or deter by awe. Almost never appears alone — pair it with 威 or 震.

bound form

to intimidateto aweto deter

Easily confused

。
Qiáng dà de jūn duì kě yǐ wēi shè dí rén.
A powerful army can intimidate the enemy.
。
Tā de wēi yán zhèn shè zhù le suǒ yǒu rén.
His dignity awed everyone.
。
Zhè ge guó jiā de hé wǔ qì qǐ dào le wēi shè zuò yòng.
This country's nuclear weapons serve a deterrent role.

Sound + meaning

六书liùshū

形声xíngshēng

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 懾; 慑 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

心心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

聶

聶niè懾

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

The traditional form 懾 pairs 心 (heart) with 聶 as a sound part; the simplified 慑 is a later shorthand.

Appears in