Chinese word

敌人

Pronunciation

Pinyindí rén

Meaning

  • nounenemy

Example

他把以前的朋友变成了敌人。tā bǎ yǐ qián de péng yǒu biàn chéng le dí rén

He turned a former friend into an enemy.

Illustration for 敌人 (enemy)

More examples

他把竞争对手当作敌人来对待。tā bǎ jìng zhēng duì shǒu dàng zuò dí rén lái duì dài

He treats the competitor as an enemy.

Core concept

The opposing side treated as a threat rather than merely a different participant.

Common phrases

  • 当作敌人dàng zuò dí rén

    regard as an enemy

  • 最大的敌人zuì dà de dí rén

    greatest enemy

  • 共同的敌人gòng tóng de dí rén

    common enemy

Similar words

对手duì shǒu: A person or side that competes against another in a contest, negotiation, or game.
仇人chóu rén: A person toward whom deep resentment is held because of a past wrong.
敌方dí fāng: An opposing side or group in a dispute, conflict, or battle.

Definition in Chinese

对自己抱有敌意并可能对自己实施攻击或损害的个人或团体。duì zì jǐ bào yǒu dí yì bìng kě néng duì zì jǐ shí shī gōng jī huò sǔn hài de gè rén huò tuán tǐ

Word origin

敌 (dí, "enemy") + 人 (rén, "person") creates a transparent compound for someone on the hostile side, with the same form extending to a hostile group.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, 敌人 (dírén, "enemy") carries a weighty tone, so using it for a minor dispute can make the conflict sound more serious than intended.

Other meanings

  • opponentnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 敌军dí jūnenemy troopsnoun
  • 敌意dí yìhostilitynoun
  • 敌视dí shìregard as an enemyverb

Word lists with this word