威胁

• Pinyin: wēi xié
• Hanzi breakdown: 威 = 女 (woman) + 戈 (weapon), representing authority through force; 胁 = 月 (flesh) + 劦 (united strength), originally ribs, now coercion

Meaning

To threaten; to menace; threat. To use intimidation or present a danger to someone or something.

Can be used as both verb and noun. As a verb: to make threats, to endanger. As a noun: a threat or menace. Common in discussions of security, politics, health, and interpersonal conflicts. Related: 恐吓 (intimidate), 危害 (harm).

Examples

1. 他威胁说如果我不同意，就把这件事公开。 He threatened that if I didn't agree, he would make this matter public.
2. 气候变化对人类生存构成了严重威胁。 Climate change poses a serious threat to human survival.
3. 不要被他的威胁吓倒，我们要坚持原则。 Don't be intimidated by his threats; we must stand by our principles.

Usage Guide

Context: conflict, security, news, interpersonal

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 这是对国家安全的威胁。(This is a threat to national security.)
• 他威胁要辞职。(He threatened to resign.)

Don't Say

• 我威胁他请客 — 威胁是负面的强迫，朋友间说'让他请客'或'逼他请客'更合适

Origin & History

Compound of 威 (power, might) + 胁 (ribs, to coerce). The character 胁 contains 月 (flesh radical) and originally referred to the side of the body, later extending to mean coercion.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal