歪路 (wāi lù) — wrong path; evil ways; (figurative) vice, wrongdoing

Definition

Literally 'crooked road,' 歪路 means a wrong moral path or wayward course — used figuratively for a life of vice, not a literal detour. Often paired with 走 (走歪路 'go astray').

noun
wrong pathevil ways(figurative) vicewrongdoing
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 歪路，。
    Tā nián qīng shí zǒu le bù shǎo wāi lù, hòu lái zhōng yú gǎi guò zì xīn.
    He went down many wrong paths when young, but later turned over a new leaf.
  • 歪路。
    Jiào yù kě yǐ yǐn dǎo qīng shào nián yuǎn lí wāi lù.
    Education can guide young people away from evil ways.
  • 歪路，。
    Zhè ge zǔ zhī zhuān mén jiāo rén zǒu wāi lù, bì xū bèi qǔ dì.
    This organization specifically teaches people to take the wrong path and must be shut down.

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.

歪wāicrooked
路lùroad

"歪" (crooked) and "路" (road) combine to mean a crooked road, figuratively a wrong way.

Characters in this word

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

歪 is written with 不 (not) above 正 (straight; proper), so the shape shows something that is not straight.

Open 歪 →

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
足足zú
Sound part声符shēngfú
各
各gè路lù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

路 combines 足, a foot, with 各, which supplies the sound.

Open 路 →

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