禍 (huò) - Calamity, disaster, misfortune & refers to unexpected disasters or unfortunate events.

禍Tone 4

huò ｜ 12 strokes ｜ radical:

慧佳

禍 · huò

Calamity, disaster, misfortune;

refers to unexpected disasters or unfortunate events.

Calamity, disaster, misfortunerefers to unexpected disasters or unfortunate events.

Usage highlights

Disaster and misfortuneSource of calamityAvoid disasterBring calamity uponCalamity from heavenNational disaster

Synonyms

  • 灾— disaster, calamity
  • 难— calamity, difficulty
  • 厄— adversity, hardship

Antonyms

  • 福— blessing, good fortune
  • 吉— auspicious, lucky
  • 祥— propitious, fortunate

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The country suffered a great calamity (国祸).
  • Natural disasters bring misfortune (天祸).
  • He tried to avoid disaster (避祸).
  • The source of the trouble was unclear (祸源).

Collocations

  • Disaster and misfortune(灾祸)
  • Source of calamity(祸源)
  • Avoid disaster(避祸)
  • Bring calamity upon(惹祸)
  • Calamity from heaven(天祸)
  • National disaster(国祸)

Idioms

  • Misfortune and blessing are interdependent(祸福相依)
  • Disaster comes from careless talk(祸从口出)
  • Misfortune lies where blessing rests(祸兮福之所倚)
  • Disaster descends from heaven(祸从天降)
  • The instigator of the trouble(祸首罪魁)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In traditional Chinese culture, '祸' is often contrasted with '福' (blessing) in the concept of yin-yang balance.
  • The character appears in many cautionary idioms warning about the consequences of words and actions.
  • Historically associated with divine punishment or natural retribution in classical texts.

FAQ