Definition
豪 is a bound morpheme (b.f.) that always appears as part of compound words, never alone. It carries two contrasting meaning clusters: a positive sense of 'heroic, bold, unrestrained' (as in 豪杰 'hero', 豪爽 'forthright', 豪华 'luxurious') and a negative sense of 'overbearing, despotic, bullying' (as in 土豪 'local bully/rich tyrant', 豪强 'powerful and domineering'). The context of the compound determines which sense is active. Unlike free adjectives, 豪 cannot stand by itself — it must attach to another morpheme.
b.f.
a person of extraordinary talent or boldnessheroicunrestrained (in compounds like 豪杰, 豪爽)overbearingdespoticbullying (in compounds like 土豪, 豪强)
Examples
- ，為國軀。Tā shì yí wèi zhēnzhèng de háo jié, wèi guó juānqū.He is a true hero who sacrificed his life for the country.
- ，歡。Tā xìnggé háo shuǎng, hěn shòu huānyíng.His character is straightforward and unrestrained, very popular.
- 個裡豪強壓，。Nàge cūn lǐ de háo qiáng qīyā bǎixìng, rénrén tònghèn.That local bully in the village oppresses the common people, and everyone hates him.
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