HSK · Level 15
135 words
Chinese word
狠
Pronunciation
Pinyinhěn
Meaning
- adjectivecruel
Example
他对对手狠，从不手软。tā duì duì shǒu hěn cóng bù shóu ruǎn
He is cruel to his opponents and never shows mercy.
More examples
老板对犯错的员工很狠心，当场解雇了他。láo bǎn duì fàn cuò de yuán gōng hěn hěn xīn dāng chǎng jiě gù le tā
The boss was cold-hearted toward the employee who made a mistake and fired him on the spot.
Core concept
A cold, unyielding way of dealing with others that allows no mercy.
Common phrases
狠心hěn xīn
cold-hearted
狠毒hěn dú
cruel
Similar words
残忍cán rěn: Willing to cause people or animals pain and suffering without hesitation.
残酷cán kù: Causing severe suffering through a cold and brutal attitude or action.
狠毒hěn dú: Showing strong malice in words or actions aimed at harming someone.
无情wú qíng: Lacking sympathy or care, and responding to others in a cold way.
Definition in Chinese
表示在态度或行为上残忍、冷酷，愿意伤害他人或毫不留情。biǎo shì zài tài dù huò xíng wéi shàng cán rěn lěng kù yuàn yì shāng hài tā rén huò háo bù liú qíng
Word origin
In 狠 (hěn, "cruel"), 犭 (quǎn, "animal radical") supplies the semantic side associated with animal ferocity, while 艮 (gèn, "phonetic element") chiefly supplies the pronunciation.
Usage tips
- In everyday Chinese, 对 (duì, "toward") can mark the person who receives this treatment, making the word useful for describing how someone acts toward a particular person.
Other meanings
- ruthlessadjective
- cold-heartedadjective
Opposites
- 善良shàn liángkindadjective
- 仁慈rén cícompassionateadjective
Related words
- 狠心hěn xīncold-heartedadjective
- 狠毒hěn dúcrueladjective
- 狠抓hěn zhuāclamp down hard onverb