Meaning
憎 means to hate or detest someone or something with strong negative emotion. It is a formal, literary word that expresses deep aversion or hostility. This character is rarely used alone in modern spoken Chinese, but appears frequently in classical texts and formal written language.
Usage
In contemporary Chinese, 憎 is primarily used in written or formal contexts. Native speakers typically use 恨 (hèn) or 讨厌 (tǎoyàn) in everyday speech. When 憎 does appear, it's usually in fixed expressions like 憎恨 (zēnghèn, to hate) or 爱憎分明 (àizēngfēnmíng, to be clear about what to love and what to hate). The character conveys a stronger and more intense hatred than 讨厌.
Examples
- 01他对那些腐败官员深深憎恨。.He deeply detests those corrupt officials.
- 02一个人应该爱憎分明，不能是非不分。, .A person should be clear about what to love and hate, and not confuse right and wrong.
Common collocations
- 憎恨to hate
- 爱憎分明to be clear about what to love and hate
- 深深憎恨to deeply detest
Antonyms
Origin
The character 憎 consists of the heart radical 忄(心) on the left, indicating emotion, and 曾 (zēng) on the right serving as the phonetic component. The heart radical reinforces that this is an emotional state of intense dislike.