(shěng) - eye disease & fault

Tone 3

shěng | 10 strokes | radical:

· shěng

eye disease;

fault;

calamity;

to reduce punishment (in ancient legal context)

eye diseasefaultcalamity

Usage highlights

eye diseaseminor faultnatural calamityreduce punishmentdisaster and abnormalityblemish or defect

Synonyms

  • illness, disease
  • sickness, ailment
  • fault, mistake
  • disaster, calamity

Antonyms

  • blessing, good fortune
  • auspicious, lucky
  • merit, achievement

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He suffered from an eye disease (目眚).
  • The official was pardoned for his minor fault (小眚).
  • Natural disasters were seen as heavenly warnings (天眚).
  • The punishment was reduced due to extenuating circumstances (眚灾).

Collocations

  • eye disease(目眚)
  • minor fault(小眚)
  • natural calamity(天眚)
  • reduce punishment(眚灾)
  • disaster and abnormality(灾眚)
  • blemish or defect(瑕眚)

Idioms

  • To pardon minor faults while punishing major crimes(赦眚纠慝)
  • Heavenly disasters and earthly abnormalities(天灾地眚)
  • To examine one's own faults(省眚)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In ancient Chinese legal systems, 眚 referred to unintentional faults or minor offenses that could qualify for reduced punishment.
  • In traditional Chinese medicine and fortune-telling, 眚 was associated with eye diseases and bodily ailments.
  • The character appears in classical texts like the Book of Documents where it denotes natural calamities seen as heavenly warnings.

FAQ