Definitions

huò (noun) disaster; misfortune; calamity

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Simplified form of .

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "祸", denoting misfortune or disaster, derives from its traditional form "禍", structured with the radical "示" referencing spiritual or ceremonial domains, and the component "咼" which primarily provides phonetic guidance while subtly implying a state of irregularity. This configuration indicates an initial conceptual alignment of calamity with perceived divine intervention or otherworldly causes. As usage progressed, the meaning broadened from these spiritually-inflicted harms to encompass a wider spectrum of severe adversities and human-generated troubles. The character's graphical development resulted in the simplified form "祸", where the phonetic element is altered to "呙", a streamlined representation that retains the original pronunciation without fundamentally shifting the enduring semantic focus on harmful or unfortunate events.

Example Sentences Hide

很可怕。

Chēhuò hěn kěpà.

Car accidents are terrible.

他避免了一场大

Tā bìmiǎnle yī chǎng dà huò.

He avoided a major disaster.

这场事造成了很多损失。

Zhè chǎng huòshì zàochéngle hěnduō sǔnshī.

This disaster caused a lot of loss.

如果不小心,就会惹

Rúguǒ bù xiǎoxīn, jiù huì rě huò.

If you are not careful, you will cause trouble.

这次事故的首是驾驶员。

Zhè cì shìgù de huòshǒu shì jiàshǐyuán.

The chief culprit of this accident is the driver.

政府正在采取措施防止患发生。

Zhèngfǔ zhèngzài cǎiqǔ cuòshī fángzhǐ huòhuàn fāshēng.

The government is taking measures to prevent disasters from occurring.

尽管他试图掩盖,但事还是被公开了。

Jǐnguǎn tā shìtú yǎngài, dàn huòshì háishì bèi gōngkāi le.

Although he tried to cover it up, the disaster was still made public.

若是早听劝告,何至于今日酿成如此大

Ruò shì zǎo tīng quàngào, hé zhìyú jīnrì niàngchéng rúcǐ dà huò?

If you had listened to the advice earlier, how could it have led to such a great disaster today?