蛇蝎 (shé xiē) — vicious people (lit. snakes and scorpions) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A literary idiom meaning 'a vicious person' — literally 'snakes and scorpions.' Used for someone with a cruel, poisonous heart, far stronger than everyday 'mean.'

idiom

vicious people (lit. snakes and scorpions)

Examples

蛇蝎。
Nà ge rén xīn cháng rú shé xiē.
That person has a heart like snakes and scorpions.
蛇蝎。
Dà jiā dōu shuō tā shì shé xiē zhī rén.
Everyone says he is a vicious person.
蛇蝎。
shé xiē Bān de è dú ràng rén bù hán ér lì.
A venomousness like snakes and scorpions makes people shudder.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

蝎xiēscorpion

蛇蝎 puts 蛇 'snake' and 蝎 'scorpion' together to describe vicious people.

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.

虫它蛇

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

它

它tā蛇shé

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

蛇 combines 虫 with 它; 它 gives the sound and was also the original form of this character.

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 蠍; 蝎 is its simplified writing.

虫歇蠍

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

歇

歇xiē蠍xiē

Same sound today

The traditional form 蠍 combines 虫 with 歇, a sound part; this describes 蠍, not the simplified 蝎.

Appears in

Idioms & Set Phrases

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