Chinese word

邪

Pronunciation

Pinyinxié

Meaning

  • adjectiveevil

Example

他心里有邪念。tā xīn lǐ yǒu xié niàn

He has evil thoughts in his heart.

Illustration for 邪 (evil)

More examples

警方采取行动打掉了一个邪恶团伙。jǐng fāng cái qǔ xíng dòng dǎ diào le yí gè xié è tuán huǒ

The police took action and broke up an evil gang.

Core concept

A mind turns away from the right path and holds thoughts that may harm others.

Common phrases

  • 邪恶xié è

    evil

  • 心怀邪念xīn huái xié niàn

    harbor wicked thoughts

  • 打击邪恶势力dǎ jī xié è shì lì

    fight evil forces

Similar words

邪恶xié è: Morally evil and likely to harm people or society.
恶毒è dú: Cruelly malicious, with words or actions meant to hurt others.
凶恶xiōng è: Vicious and aggressive in a way that makes people feel in danger.
恶è: Bad in character or conduct, with a tendency to harm others or society.

Definition in Chinese

指心中存有不正念头或欲为害人的心理状态。zhǐ xīn zhōng cún yǒu bú zhèng niàn tou huò yù wéi hài rén de xīn lǐ zhuàng tài

Word origin

邪 (xié, "evil") developed from an older sense of being crooked or off the proper path, which extended naturally to morally wrong thoughts and intentions.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, this adjective often sounds literary when it stands alone, so it is more natural to meet it in a fixed expression than as a casual label for a person.

Opposites

Related words

  • 邪恶xié èeviladjective
  • 邪念xié niànsinful thoughtsnoun
  • 邪气xié qìevil influencenoun

Word lists with this word