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猖狂 (chāng kuáng) — savage, frenzied (of actions, attacks, etc.); arrogant, unbridled, overweening (of behavior, speech, etc.)

Definition

Means 'wild, rampant, brazen' — actions that run unchecked. Stronger and more savage than 放肆 (mere impudence) and 嚣张 (arrogant bluster); close to 凶残 in ferocity but侧重 unbridled aggression rather than cruelty.

adjective
savagefrenzied (of actions, attacks, etc.)arrogantunbridledoverweening (of behavior, speech, etc.)

Examples

  • 猖狂。
    Dí rén de jìn gōng fēi cháng chāng kuáng.
    The enemy's attack was extremely savage.
  • 猖狂。
    Tā zài huì shàng chāng kuáng dì gōng jī fǎn duì zhě.
    He frenziedly attacked his opponents at the meeting.
  • 猖狂，。
    Tā shuō huà tài chāng kuáng, méi rén xǐ huan tā.
    His speech is too arrogant; nobody likes him.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

猖chāngarrogant
狂kuángfrenzied

The characters 猖 and 狂 both convey arrogance and frenzy, so together they describe savage behavior.

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
犭Written in full as犬quǎndog
Sound part声符shēngfú
昌
昌chāng猖chāng
Same sound today

The left side 犭 is a form of 犬 (dog), so the shape is built around a dog; the right side 昌 gives the sound.

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
犭Written in full as犬quǎndog
Sound part声符shēngfú
㞷
㞷㞷狂kuáng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

狂 pairs 犭 (dog) with 㞷, which gives the sound; 㞷 is an old form of a character meaning 'to go'.

Open 狂 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Personality & Traits

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