煞 (shā) — (bound form) evil spirit, demon; (bound form) very, extremely (in fixed expressions)
Definition
Bound form pronounced shā with two distinct uses: in 凶神恶煞 type words it means 'evil spirit / demon'; in fixed phrases like 煞费苦心 it intensifies ('extremely').
bound form
evil spiritdemonveryextremely (in fixed expressions)
Easily confused
- 熬áolook-aliketo simmer, to decoct (cooking over low heat)
- 杀shāsound-aliketo kill; to murder
- 沙shāsound-alikesand
- 莎shāsound-alikeused as a phonetic in transliterations (especially in personal and place names)
- 杉shāsound-alike(bound morpheme) fir tree
- 鲨shāsound-alikeshark (bound morpheme, used in compounds like 鲨鱼)
Examples
- 。Nà bù diàn yǐng lǐ yǒu hěn duō xiōng shén è shā de jué sè.That movie has many demon-like characters.
- 。Tā shā fèi kǔ xīn cái bǎ zhè ge wèn tí jiě jué.He took great pains to solve this problem.
- 。Tā shā fèi kǔ xīn cái jiě jué le wèn tí.He took great pains to solve the problem.
Appears in
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