苛责 (kē zé) — to criticize severely, to excoriate | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

苛责 (kē zé) means to criticize someone harshly and excessively — stronger and more literary than everyday 批评. It implies nitpicking beyond what is fair or necessary.

verb

to criticize severelyto excoriate

Examples

苛责，。
Tā duì yuán gōng cóng bù kē zé, zǒng shì nài xīn zhǐ dǎo.
He never criticizes his employees severely; he always guides them patiently.
苛责，。
Lǎo shī méi yǒu kē zé tā, ér shì gǔ lì tā jì xù nǔ lì.
The teacher didn't criticize him harshly; instead, she encouraged him to keep trying.
，苛责。
Miàn duì shī bài, bú yào guò dù kē zé zì jǐ.
When facing failure, don't criticize yourself too harshly.

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.

苛 means harsh and 责 means blame, so it means to criticize severely.

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.

艹可苛

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎo

Sound part声符shēngfú

可

可kě苛kē

Same sound today

The shape 苛 pairs 艹 (grass) with 可 (kě), which gives the sound.

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 責; 责 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

貝貝bèicowry; money

Sound part声符shēngfú

朿

朿cì責zé

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

The traditional form 責 pairs 貝, cowry/money, with 朿 as the sound part; the simplified 责 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

Communication & Speech Conflict & Agreement

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