Definitions
Etymology
Pictograph of a trap in the ground.
About
The character 凶 is an ideogram combining an outer pit component, 凵, and an inner cross, 乂, visually depicting a fall into a trap. Its original meaning was inauspicious or disastrous, serving as the direct antonym to 吉 (auspicious). Over time, the sense expanded from passive bad luck to include active qualities like fierceness, cruelty, and terribleness, as well as natural calamities such as famine. In modern use, it often describes violence or murder, marking a shift from omens to direct hostility.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
这只老虎非常凶猛。
凶手已经被警察抓住了。
他的样子很凶恶。
山路十分凶险，要小心。
警方找到了凶器。
这被认为是一个凶兆。
吉凶难料，我们只能做好准备。
尽管环境凶险，他们还是完成了任务。