仇
chóu
enemy, hatred, enmity; to hate or seek revenge
Meaning
- Noun (Person): An enemy, adversary, or foe.
- Abstract Noun: Hatred, enmity, a grudge, or a blood-feud.
- Verb: To hate, to hold a grudge against, or to seek revenge/redress.
Grammar and usage
- Predicate Use: When appearing as a predicate (e.g., "A [is] 仇 B"), it can be read as "A hates B" or "A is an enemy to B."
- Reciprocity: Frequently implies a reciprocal relationship—a cycle of hostility where both parties are locked in enmity.
Distinctions
- vs. 敌 (dí): 敌 is generally strategic or formal (e.g., an opposing army or political opponent), whereas 仇 is personal, visceral, and usually rooted in a specific grievance.
- vs. 恨 (hèn): 恨 emphasizes the internal emotion—bitterness, regret, or an ache of hatred. 仇 describes the state of enmity, which is often externalized or reciprocal.
- vs. 怨 (yuàn): 怨 refers to resentment, complaint, or lingering dissatisfaction; it lacks the active danger and sharpness associated with 仇.
History and forms
- Variants: U+8B8E and U+8B90 are orthographic variants and do not carry distinct semantic values in classical contexts.
Decontextualized translator aid. This page describes plausible lexical range; it does not choose what the glyph means in a particular passage.