About
The character "恶" in its traditional form as "惡" originally combined the element "亞", which denoted something secondary or inferior, with the component "心", meaning heart or mind, to construct a conceptual meaning of a twisted or inferior heart-mind, thus signifying wicked intentions or moral depravity. Over time, this primary sense of internal malevolence or vice broadened to encompass more general and objective qualities of something being bad, unpleasant, or fierce, such as in "惡劣" (of poor quality) or "兇惡" (ferocious). This semantic expansion allowed the character to describe both subjective moral states and objective conditions, while its structural simplification from "惡" to "恶" retained the core "心" component but replaced the complex "亞" with a more streamlined form.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
这个味道很恶心。
天气条件很恶劣。
她说了一些恶毒的话。
我厌恶这种行为。
那个恶霸欺负小孩。
赌博是一种恶习。
那只狗看起来凶恶。
他的恶作剧有时会让人生气。