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震怒 (zhèn nù) — to be enraged, to be furious

Definition

Literary, high-register verb meaning 'to be enraged' (震 = shake, 怒 = anger) — stronger than everyday 生气 and more formal than 愤怒, used mainly in writing or to describe powerful figures' reactions.

verb
to be enragedto be furious

Examples

  • ，震怒。
    Tā tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xi hòu, zhèn nù bù yǐ.
    After hearing this news, he was extremely enraged.
  • 震怒。
    Lǎo bǎn duì yuán gōng de shī wù dà wéi zhèn nù.
    The boss was greatly enraged by the employee's mistake.
  • 震怒。
    Fù qīn zhèn nù dì pāi le yí xià zhuō zi.
    The father slammed the table in fury.

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.

震zhènshake
怒nùanger

震, 'shake', intensifies 怒, 'anger', giving furious shaking.

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
雨雨yǔ
Sound part声符shēngfú
辰
辰chén震zhèn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

震 combines 雨 (rain) with 辰 (chén), which gives the sound; 雨 is the part associated with the character’s meaning.

Open 震 →

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
奴
奴nú怒nù
Same sound today

怒 pairs 心 (heart) with 奴, which is used for its sound rather than its meaning of slave.

Open 怒 →
Appears in
Emotions & Feelings

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