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阎王 (yán wang) — (Buddhism) Yama, King of Hell; (fig.) a cruel and tyrannical person

Definition

Literally 'Yama, King of Hell' in Buddhist/Chinese folk religion; used figuratively to call someone a 'living Yama' (活阎王) when they are brutally cruel.

noun
(Buddhism) YamaKing of Hell(fig.) a cruel and tyrannical person
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 阎王。
    Hěn duō sì miào lǐ dōu yǒu yán wang de sù xiàng.
    Many temples have statues of Yama.
  • ，阎王。
    Tā duì gōng rén tè bié hěn, dà jiā dōu jiào tā huó yán wang.
    He is extremely harsh to the workers, so everyone calls him a living Yama.
  • 阎王，。
    Bié yǐ wéi yán wang hǎo jiàn, xiǎo guǐ nán chán.
    Don't think Yama is easy to see — the little devils are hard to deal with.

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.

阎yánYama
王wángking

阎 points to Yama and 王 means king, so 阎王 is the king of the underworld.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 王 comes from a picture of a ritual axe, an object kept near a throne and connected with royal power.

Open 王 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Mythology & FolkloreReligion & Belief

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