狗血喷头 (gǒu xuè pēn tóu) — to scold someone severely; to give a blistering tongue-lashing

Definition

Always appears after 骂 as a result complement (骂得狗血喷头 = scold someone brutally). It means a thorough, withering tongue-lashing.

idiom
to scold someone severelyto give a blistering tongue-lashing

Examples

  • 狗血喷头，。
    Lǎo bǎn bǎ tā mà dé gǒu xuè pēn tóu, tā yí jù huà dōu bù gǎn shuō.
    The boss gave him a severe scolding, and he didn't dare say a word.
  • ，狗血喷头。
    Yīn wèi chí dào le, tā bèi lǎo shī mà dé gǒu xuè pēn tóu.
    Because he was late, the teacher gave him a terrible dressing-down.
  • ，狗血喷头。
    Nǐ fàn zhè me dà de cuò, huí jiā kěn dìng huì bèi mà dé gǒu xuè pēn tóu.
    You made such a big mistake — you'll definitely get a severe scolding when you get home.

Origin

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
犬犬quǎndog
Sound part声符shēngfú
句
句jù狗gǒu
Same sound today

狗 combines 犬, meaning dog, with 句, which gives the sound.

Open 狗 →

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

  • 一一yīdrop of blood
  • 皿皿mǐncontainer

The shape shows 一, a drop of blood, inside 皿, a container, for blood held in a sacrificial vessel.

Open 血 →

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 噴; 喷 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
賁
賁bì噴pēn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 噴 pairs 口, mouth, with 賁 for the sound; the simplified 喷 is a later shorthand.

Open 喷 →

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 頭; 头 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yèhead
Sound part声符shēngfú
豆
豆dòu頭tóu
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 頭 shows 頁, meaning head, beside 豆 as a sound component; the simplified 头 is a later shorthand.

Open 头 →

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