色情狂 (sè qíng kuáng) — sex maniac; nymphomaniac; abnormal sexual desire; hypersexuality (clinical sense)

Definition

A clinical/colloquial label for someone with abnormally strong sexual desire. It can also describe the condition itself (hypersexuality), not just a person.

noun
sex maniacnymphomaniacabnormal sexual desirehypersexuality (clinical sense)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 色情狂。
    Jǐng chá zhuā dào le yí gè sè qíng kuáng.
    The police caught a sex maniac.
  • 色情狂。
    Zhè ge sè qíng kuáng de xíng wéi fēi cháng wēi xiǎn.
    This sex maniac's behavior is very dangerous.
  • 色情狂。
    Zhì liáo sè qíng kuáng xū yào zhuān yè de xīn lǐ yī shēng.
    Treating abnormal sexual desire requires a professional psychologist.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

色情sexual desire
色sèsexual情qíngdesire
偏正Modifier + head
狂kuángmadness

色情 and 狂 combine to mean excessive sexual desire or a person obsessed with it.

Characters in this word

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

  • 爪爪zhuǎclaw; hand
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

色 pairs 爪 (a hand) with 卩 (a kneeling person), showing a hand pressing down on the kneeling person.

Open 色 →

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
青
青qīng情qíng
Same sound today

情 shows 心 (heart) beside 青, which gives the sound. The heart part points to feelings and inner states.

Open 情 →

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
Mental Health

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