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邪恶 (xié è) — evil, wicked, sinister

Definition

邪恶 (xié'è) is a strong, formal word for 'evil' as a moral quality, typically describing people or acts. Stronger and more literary than 恶, and broader than 凶恶 ('fierce/vicious' about appearance or behavior).

adjective
evilwickedsinister

Examples

  • 邪恶，。
    Tā shì yí gè xié è de rén, dà jiā dōu pà tā.
    He is an evil person; everyone is afraid of him.
  • 邪恶。
    Zhè zhǒng xié è de xíng wéi bì xū shòu dào chéng fá.
    This kind of wicked behavior must be punished.
  • 邪恶。
    Zhèng yì zuì zhōng zhàn shèng le xié è.
    Justice ultimately triumphed over evil.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

邪xiéevil
恶èwicked

邪 and 恶 both carry the sense of wickedness.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
邑邑yìtown; city
Sound part声符shēngfú
牙
牙yá邪xié
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

邪 puts 牙 beside 邑 (town; city): 牙 gives the sound, and 邑 shows it was first used in a place name. It was later used for strange or evil meanings.

Open 邪 →

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 惡; 恶 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
亞
亞yā惡è
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 惡 pairs 心 (heart) as the meaning part with 亞 (yā) as the sound part; the simplified 恶 is a later shorthand.

Open 恶 →
Appears in
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