恶

• Pinyin: è
• Hanzi breakdown: 恶 = 亚 (sub-standard, phonetic component) + 心 (heart) — a heart that is beneath the moral standard

Meaning

Evil; wicked; malicious. The quality of being morally reprehensible or harmful; the opposite of 善 (good).

恶 functions as both adjective and noun in classical and modern Chinese. As a standalone term, it contrasts with 善 (good) in philosophical discourse. It forms the root of many compounds: 恶意 (malice), 恶劣 (terrible), 恶化 (deteriorate). A fundamental term in Chinese ethics and literature.

Examples

1. 中国传统哲学对人性善恶的争论持续了数千年，至今仍未有定论。 Debates in traditional Chinese philosophy over whether human nature is good or evil have lasted for thousands of years, and there is still no definitive conclusion.
2. 法律的功能之一，正是通过惩罚恶行来维护社会的公正秩序。 One function of the law is to uphold a just social order by punishing wrongdoing.
3. 他在外表上伪装得极为善良，实则内心充满恶念，令认识他的人后来无不感到不寒而栗。 He put on an extremely kind facade, but in fact his heart was full of malice; those who came to know him later couldn’t help but feel a chill.

Usage Guide

Context: philosophy, morality, law, literature

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 儒家思想认为，人性本善，恶的出现源于后天环境的影响与个人修身的缺失，并非人的天然本质。(Confucian thought holds that human nature is inherently good; the emergence of evil originates from the influence of the acquired environment and the failure of personal self-cultivation, not from one's innate nature.)
• 在这场道德哲学讨论中，学者们探讨了恶的本质：究竟是行为本身构成了恶，还是行为背后的意图与动机才是恶的根源。(In this moral philosophy discussion, scholars explored the nature of evil: whether it is the act itself that constitutes evil, or whether the intention and motive behind the act is the true root of evil.)

Don't Say

• 这道菜的味道很恶 — while 恶心 (nauseating) exists as a set phrase, 恶 alone for bad taste is not standard; use 难吃 for unpleasant food; 恶 as a standalone adjective belongs in ethical or philosophical contexts

Origin & History

Pictophonetic character — 亚 (sub-standard/ugly, phonetic) + 心 (heart) — a heart that falls below the standard of goodness

Cultural Context

Era: Classical to Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal