讳

諱

huì

讠 + 韦

Definitions

huì (verb) to avoid mentioning; taboo word

huì (noun) name of deceased emperor or superior

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 讠 represents the meaning and 韦 represents the sound. Simplified form of 諱.

Semantic: 讠 Phonetic: 韦

About

讳 is a phonosemantic compound: the left-hand radical 讠 (simplified from 言) signals speech or language, while the right-hand component 韦 (simplified from 韋) provides the pronunciation. Its traditional form 諱 uses the unsimplified 言 and 韋 with the same structure. The meaning is taboo , names or words that must not be spoken aloud because of cultural, religious, or political sensitivities, including the names of emperors and deceased ancestors, hence the character is closely associated with concealment in speech.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他忌讳吃牛肉。

Tā jìhuì chī niúròu.

He avoids eating beef as a taboo.

她忌讳在晚上剪指甲。

Tā jìhuì zài wǎnshang jiǎn zhǐjia.

She avoids cutting nails at night as a taboo.

他讳言自己的失败。

Tā huìyán zìjǐ de shībài.

He avoids mentioning his own failure.

报告隐讳了关键数据。

Bàogào yǐnhuì le guānjiàn shùjù.

The report concealed the key data.

古代文人避讳皇帝的名字。

Gǔdài wénrén bìhuì huángdì de míngzì.

Ancient scholars avoided the emperor's name as taboo.

由于文化差异，他们忌讳某些颜色。

Yóuyú wénhuà chāyì, tāmen jìhuì mǒu xiē yánsè.

Due to cultural differences, they avoid certain colors as taboo.

他从不讳言自己的缺点。

Tā cóng bù huìyán zìjǐ de quēdiǎn.

He never avoids mentioning his own shortcomings.

对于错误，他不隐讳也不夸大。

Duìyú cuòwù, tā bù yǐnhuì yě bù kuādà.

Regarding mistakes, he neither conceals nor exaggerates them.

Related Characters

Component: 讠

Component: 韦

讳