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死敌 (sǐ dí) — deadly enemy; implacable foe

Definition

死敌 means a 'deadly enemy' — stronger and more absolute than a regular 敌人, implying irreconcilable, lifelong hostility. Used for people, companies, or factions bound by lasting conflict.

noun
deadly enemyimplacable foe
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 死敌。
    Zhè liǎng jiā gōng sī shì duō nián de sǐ dí.
    These two companies are long-time deadly enemies.
  • ，死敌。
    Zài zhàn zhēng zhōng, tā men chéng le sǐ dí.
    In the war, they became implacable foes.
  • 死敌，。
    Suī rán tā men shì sǐ dí, dàn bǐ cǐ zūn zhòng.
    Although they are deadly enemies, they respect each other.

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.

死sǐdeadly
敌díenemy

死 conveys deadly intensity, and 敌 names an enemy, giving an implacable foe.

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
歹歹dǎi
Sound part声符shēngfú
尸
尸shī死sǐ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

死 is built from 歹 and 尸: 歹 is the part tied to the meaning, and 尸 gives the sound.

Open 死 →

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 敵; 敌 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
攴攴pūto tap; to hit
Sound part声符shēngfú
啻
啻chì敵dí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 敵 pairs 啻 as a sound part with 攴, a part for tapping or hitting.

Open 敌 →
Appears in
Conflict & Agreement

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