遭殃 (zāo yāng) — to suffer a disaster, to be hit by a calamity | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

遭殃 focuses on being struck by disaster or bad consequences — the suffering is total and falls on someone as their fate. Unlike 受害 (harm to a person) or 遭受 (sustain a specific loss), 殃 is broader: crops, families, bystanders all "get hit."

verb

to suffer a disasterto be hit by a calamity

Examples

，遭殃。
Nà nián dà hàn, zhuāng jia quán dōu zāo yāng le.
That year there was a severe drought, and all the crops suffered.
，遭殃。
Tā tóu zī shī bài, quán jiā gēn zhe zāo yāng.
His investment failed, and the whole family suffered as a result.
，遭殃。
Rú guǒ bù zūn shǒu jiāo tōng guī zé, chí zǎo huì zāo yāng.
If you don't follow traffic rules, you'll eventually get into trouble.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

遭zāomeet; suffer

殃yāngcalamity

遭 means to meet or suffer, and 殃 is calamity, giving the sense of suffering disaster.

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.

辶曹遭

Meaning part形符xíngfú

辶Written in full as辵chuòmovement

Sound part声符shēngfú

曹

曹cáo遭zāo

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

遭 pairs 辶, the walking part, with 曹, which gives the sound; the shape is for meeting on the road.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

歹央殃

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

央

央yāng殃yāng

Same sound today

殃 puts 歹 on the left and 央 on the right; 央 gives the sound, and 歹 carries the meaning.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Safety & Danger

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