慫 (sǒng) - To instigate & to incite

慫Tone 3

sǒng ｜ 15 strokes ｜ radical:

树檀

慫 · sǒng

To instigate;

to incite;

to egg on;

to stir up;

also used in modern slang to mean 'scared', 'timid', or 'cowardly'.

To instigateto inciteto egg on

Usage highlights

To instigateTo be scared/timidTo show cowardiceCowardly personTo back downTo be frightened into submission

Synonyms

  • 恿— To instigate; to incite (often used together as 怂恿)
  • 煽动— To incite; to stir up
  • 胆小— Timid; cowardly

Antonyms

  • 勇— Brave; courageous
  • 敢— Daring; bold

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He tried to incite the crowd (怂恿人群).
  • Don't let others egg you on (别被人怂恿).
  • In internet slang, 'I'm scared' can be expressed as '我怂了' (I'm怂了).
  • He showed cowardice at the critical moment (关键时刻他怂了).

Collocations

  • To instigate(怂恿)
  • To be scared/timid(认怂)
  • To show cowardice(怂了)
  • Cowardly person(怂人)
  • To back down(怂回去)
  • To be frightened into submission(吓怂)

Idioms

  • To incite and stir up trouble(怂恿滋事)
  • To be timid and overcautious(怂头怂脑)
  • To egg someone on to do wrong(怂人为恶)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • The character 慫 originally carried the meaning of 'instigating' or 'inciting', particularly in classical Chinese texts.
  • In contemporary Chinese, especially in internet culture, it has acquired a strong secondary meaning of 'cowardly' or 'timid'.
  • The modern slang usage often appears in phrases like '认怂' (to admit defeat/show cowardice) and '怂了' (to chicken out).

FAQ