猜忌 (cāi jì) — to be suspicious and jealous (of others) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

猜忌 is a formal verb meaning 'to be suspicious and jealous of others' — it combines distrust with envy, stronger and more literary than 嫉妒. Often used for people in close relationships (spouses, colleagues).

verb

to be suspicious and jealous (of others)

Examples

猜忌，。
Fū qī zhī jiān bú yào hù xiāng cāi jì, yào hù xiāng xìn rèn.
Couples should not be suspicious and jealous of each other; they should trust each other.
猜忌，。
Tā yīn wèi cāi jì tóng shì de néng lì, jīng cháng zài bèi hòu shuō huài huà.
Because he was suspicious and jealous of his colleague's abilities, he often spoke ill behind their back.
猜忌。
Tā de cāi jì ràng péng you dōu yuǎn lí le tā.
Her suspicious and jealous nature made her friends all stay away from her.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

猜cāisuspect

忌jìjealous

猜 carries suspicion and 忌 carries jealousy, together describing distrustful envy.

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.

犭青猜

Meaning part形符xíngfú

犭Written in full as犬quǎn

Sound part声符shēngfú

青

青qīng猜cāi

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

猜 pairs 犭, the dog radical (full form 犬), with 青 as the sound part.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

己心忌

Meaning part形符xíngfú

心心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

己

己jǐ忌jì

Same sound today

忌 combines 己, which gives the sound, with 心, the heart, as the part connected to the meaning.

Appears in

Emotions & Feelings

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