骂名 (mà míng) — bad reputation, infamy | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literary/formal noun for a 'bad reputation' earned through one's own bad acts — a lasting stain on one's name. Stronger and more written than colloquial phrases like 坏名声.

noun

bad reputationinfamy

Examples

骂名。
Tā yīn wèi bèi pàn péng you ér bèi shàng le qiān gǔ mà míng.
He incurred eternal infamy for betraying his friends.
骂名。
Zhè ge zhèng kè zài lì shǐ shàng liú xià le xǐ bú diào de mà míng.
This politician left an indelible stain on his name in history.
骂名。
Tā nìng kě chéng shòu mà míng yě bú yuàn shuō chū zhēn xiàng.
She would rather bear the infamy than reveal the truth.

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.

骂名 is a 名, reputation, that comes from being 骂, scolded.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 罵; 骂 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

馬

馬mǎ罵mà

Same sound today

The traditional form 罵 uses 网 (a net) for the meaning and 馬 for the sound; the simplified 骂 is a later shorthand.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

夕口名

夕夕xīcrescent moon
口口kǒumouth

名 puts 夕 (crescent moon) above 口 (mouth), showing a name spoken in the dark.

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