暴戾 (bào lì) — (stative verb) ruthless and tyrannical

Definition

A literary, written adjective for a cruel and tyrannical temperament — applies to character, behavior, or tone. Stronger and more formal than everyday 凶 or 狠.

adjective
(stative verb) ruthless and tyrannical
Easily confused

Examples

  • 暴戾，。
    Nà ge bào jūn xìng gé bào lì, bǎi xìng shēn shòu qí kǔ.
    That tyrant's character was ruthless and tyrannical, and the people suffered greatly from it.
  • 暴戾。
    Zhè piān xiǎo shuō kè huà le yí gè bào lì de fǎn pài xíng xiàng.
    This novel portrays a ruthless and tyrannical villain.
  • 暴戾，。
    Tā shuō huà de yǔ qì shí fēn bào lì, ràng rén bù gǎn fǎn bó.
    His tone of voice was extremely ruthless and tyrannical, making people afraid to contradict him.

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.

暴bàoviolent
戾lìcruel

暴 and 戾 both convey violence and cruelty, yielding a ruthless temperament.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The earliest form paired 虎 and 戈, a tiger and a weapon. The later 暴 came from a picture of hands drying something in the sun.

Open 暴 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The picture shows a dog bending to enter through a door, giving the sense of bending, then crooked or contrary.

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