唬 (hǔ) - To intimidate, to bluff, to scare & also refers to a tiger's roar.

唬Tone 3

hǔ ｜ 11 strokes ｜ radical:

枫惠

唬 · hǔ

To intimidate, to bluff, to scare;

also refers to a tiger's roar.

To intimidate, to bluff, to scarealso refers to a tiger's roar.

Usage highlights

intimidate peoplescare someonebluff and deceivethreatening mannertiger's roarempty threat

Synonyms

  • 吓— to frighten, to scare
  • 恐吓— to threaten, to intimidate
  • 威吓— to menace, to intimidate

Antonyms

  • 安抚— to soothe, to pacify
  • 安慰— to comfort, to console

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He tried to intimidate me (唬人).
  • Don't be scared by his threats (别被他唬住).
  • That's just a bluff (那是唬人的).
  • The tiger roared (老虎唬了一声).

Collocations

  • intimidate people(唬人)
  • scare someone(唬住某人)
  • bluff and deceive(唬骗)
  • threatening manner(唬势)
  • tiger's roar(虎唬)
  • empty threat(虚张声势唬人)

Idioms

  • To bluff and deceive(连唬带骗)
  • To intimidate with threats(连吓带唬)
  • To scare someone out of their wits(唬得魂飞魄散)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally depicted a tiger's roar, with the mouth radical (口) indicating sound and 虎 (tiger) providing meaning.
  • In modern usage, shifted from literal tiger sounds to metaphorical intimidation tactics.
  • Common in contexts describing psychological manipulation through fear or deception.

FAQ