戕害 (qiāng hài) — to harm, injure, or kill (often violently, in formal or literary contexts)

Definition

A formal/literary verb meaning 'to harm, injure, or kill' — much stronger and more violent than 伤害 ('to hurt'), and used in writing, not everyday speech.

verb
to harminjureor kill (often violently, in formal or literary contexts)

Examples

  • 戕害。
    Zhè chǎng zhàn zhēng qiāng hài le wú shù wú gū bǎi xìng.
    This war harmed countless innocent people.
  • 戕害，。
    Tā yīn sī yù qiāng hài tā rén, zuì zhōng shòu dào le fǎ lǜ de zhì cái.
    He harmed others out of selfish desires and eventually faced legal punishment.
  • 戕害。
    Zhè zhǒng yào wù bú huì qiāng hài shēn tǐ de jiàn kāng.
    This kind of medicine will not harm the body's health.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

戕qiānginjure
害hàiharm

戕 ('injure') and 害 ('harm') both convey doing damage.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
戈戈gēdagger-axe
Sound part声符shēngfú
爿
爿pán戕qiāng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

戕 is built from 戈, a dagger-axe, and 爿, which gives the sound.

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

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀mián
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
丯
丯jiè害hài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

害 was borrowed purely for its sound. Its old picture, possibly a house rafter, is unrelated to harm.

Open 害 →

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