邪路 (xié lù) — evil ways, vice, debauchery | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literally 'crooked road,' 邪路 refers to immoral or corrupt life choices (vice, crime, debauchery). It implies having strayed from the right path (正路), often with a moralistic tone in written or admonitory contexts.

noun

evil waysvicedebauchery

Examples

邪路。
Tā nián qīng shí bú shèn wù rù le xié lù.
He unfortunately strayed onto evil ways when he was young.
邪路。
Jiā zhǎng yīng gāi yǐn dǎo hái zi yuǎn lí xié lù.
Parents should guide their children away from evil ways.
邪路。
Zǒu xié lù zuì zhōng zhī huì hài le zì jǐ.
Taking the road of vice will only end up hurting yourself.

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.

邪 describes evil or wrong, and 路 is a path.

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.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

各

各gè路lù

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

路 combines 足, a foot, with 各, which supplies the sound.

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