About

The word "活该" is formed from the character "活", which in this context contributes the sense of deserving, and "该", meaning should or ought to; their combination yields a term meaning that someone deserves what they get, often used for negative consequences arising from one's own actions.

Example Sentences Hide

你活该摔倒。

Nǐ huógāi shuāidǎo.

You deserve to fall.

他活该被老师批评。

Tā huógāi bèi lǎoshī pīpíng.

He deserves to be criticized by the teacher.

你不学习，考试不及格活该。

Nǐ bù xuéxí, kǎoshì bù jígé huógāi.

You don't study, so you deserve to fail the exam.

他经常说谎，现在没人相信他，真是活该。

Tā jīngcháng shuōhuǎng, xiànzài méi rén xiāngxìn tā, zhēnshi huógāi.

He often lies, and now no one believes him, he really deserves it.

鉴于他多次违反规定，被开除完全是活该。

Jiànyú tā duōcì wéifǎn guīdìng, bèi kāichú wánquán shì huógāi.

Given that he repeatedly violated the rules, being fired is entirely deserved.

Word Definition - 活该

huó gāi serve somebody right; deservedly

Individual Character Details

活 huó
该 gāi