孼 (niè) - nie4 — illegitimate child & bastard

孼Tone 4

niè ｜ 19 strokes ｜ radical:

念柠

孼 · niè

nie4 — illegitimate child;

bastard;

calamity;

disaster;

also refers to a side branch or offshoot.

nie4 — illegitimate childbastardcalamity

Usage highlights

illegitimate childcalamity and disasterside branchtragic fateevil consequencesroot of disaster

Synonyms

  • 庶— illegitimate (of children); of secondary status
  • 灾— disaster; calamity
  • 祸— misfortune; disaster

Antonyms

  • 嫡— legitimate (of children); of primary status
  • 福— blessing; good fortune

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He was treated as an illegitimate son (孽子).
  • The family was plagued by misfortune (孼障).
  • This branch grew from the main stem (孼枝).
  • The story tells of a tragic fate (孼缘).

Collocations

  • illegitimate child(孽子)
  • calamity and disaster(孼障)
  • side branch(孼枝)
  • tragic fate(孼缘)
  • evil consequences(孼果)
  • root of disaster(孼根)

Idioms

  • Illegitimate son bringing calamity(孽子祸胎)
  • Accumulated evil brings self-destruction(孼贯满盈)
  • Creating one's own disaster(自作孼)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In traditional Chinese society, illegitimate children (孽子) faced significant social stigma and legal disadvantages.
  • The character carries strong negative connotations of moral transgression and cosmic retribution.
  • Often used in Buddhist contexts to refer to karmic obstacles and negative consequences of past actions.

FAQ