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破口大骂 (pò kǒu dà mà) — to shout abuse, to hurl insults (in an angry outburst)

Definition

An idiom for a sudden, furious outburst of shouting insults — 破口 emphasizes the mouth bursting open, making it stronger and more vivid than plain 骂. Used for heated verbal fights, not casual complaining.

idiom
to shout abuseto hurl insults (in an angry outburst)

Examples

  • ，破口大骂。
    Tā bèi rén cǎi le yì jiǎo, lì jí pò kǒu dà mà qǐ lái.
    Someone stepped on his foot, and he immediately started shouting abuse.
  • ，破口大骂。
    Liǎng rén zhēng chǎo le jǐ jù, jiù kāi shǐ hù xiāng pò kǒu dà mà.
    After a few words of argument, they began hurling insults at each other.
  • 破口大骂，。
    Mén kǒu chuán lái pò kǒu dà mà de shēng yīn, lín jū dōu pǎo chū lái kàn.
    The sound of shouting abuse came from the doorway, and the neighbors all ran out to see.

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
石石shí
Sound part声符shēngfú
皮
皮pí破pò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

破 has 石 (stone) as its meaning part and 皮 as its sound part.

Open 破 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 口 looks like an open mouth.

Open 口 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →

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 罵; 骂 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
网网wǎng
Sound part声符shēngfú
馬
馬mǎ罵mà
Same sound today

The traditional form 罵 uses 网 (a net) for the meaning and 馬 for the sound; the simplified 骂 is a later shorthand.

Open 骂 →
Appears in
Communication & SpeechIdioms & Set Phrases

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