毒 (dú) — (noun) poison; also refers to narcotics (毒品); (verb) to poison; (adjective) malicious, cruel, fierce
Definition
毒 is poison in three forms — a noun (the substance), a verb ('to poison'), and an adjective meaning cruel or vicious ('a毒 remark'). Compounds with 毒, like 中毒 and 毒品, build on this core sense.
noun
poisonalso refers to narcotics (毒品)
verb
to poison
adjective
maliciouscruelfierce
Examples
- 毒，。Zhè zhǒng dú fēi cháng wēi xiǎn, qiān wàn bú yào pèng.This poison is very dangerous — never touch it.
- 。Yǒu rén xiǎng yòng dú yào dú sǐ nà zhī lǎo shǔ.Someone tried to poison that mouse with poison.
- 毒，。Tā shuō huà tài dú le, méi rén xǐ huan tā.He speaks too maliciously; no one likes him.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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
屮屮chèvegetation
Sound part声符shēngfú
毐
毐ǎi毒dú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
毒 pairs 屮, a plant part, with 毐 as a sound part; this form was used for a poisonous plant.
Appears in
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