鳄鱼

• Pinyin: è yú
• Hanzi breakdown: 鳄 = 鱼 (fish radical, indicating aquatic creature) + 咢 (phonetic suggesting wide jaws) — the wide-jawed water predator; 鱼 = 田 + 一 + 灬 — the fish character, reinforcing the aquatic nature

Meaning

Crocodile; alligator. A large, predatory semi-aquatic reptile of the order Crocodylia, known for its armoured skin and powerful jaws.

鳄鱼 is used literally for crocodilians in natural science and popular media. The phrase 鳄鱼的眼泪 (crocodile tears) describes insincere or hypocritical sympathy. In informal contexts it can metaphorically describe a ruthless, predatory party in negotiations.

Examples

1. 非洲大草原上的鳄鱼潜伏在河岸边，等待动物群经过时发动突袭。 On the African savanna, crocodiles lie in wait along the riverbank, ready to launch a surprise attack when herds pass by.
2. 游客在参观热带野生动物园时，近距离观察了鳄鱼进食的全过程。 While visiting a tropical wildlife park, tourists watched the entire process of a crocodile feeding up close.
3. 他流下的眼泪不过是鳄鱼的眼泪，根本没有一点真实的悲痛。 Those tears of his were nothing but crocodile tears—there wasn’t any real grief at all.

Usage Guide

Context: nature, science, idiom, colloquial

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 尼罗河流域栖息着数量庞大的尼罗鳄，由于其极强的攻击性与伪装能力，每年都会造成多起人员伤亡事故。(The Nile basin is home to a large population of Nile crocodiles; owing to their highly aggressive nature and camouflage ability, they cause multiple human casualties each year.)
• 该男演员在采访中声泪俱下，博取同情，然而网友普遍认为那不过是一场精心设计的鳄鱼眼泪表演。(The actor shed tears during the interview to elicit sympathy, but netizens generally regarded it as nothing more than a carefully staged performance of crocodile tears.)

Don't Say

• 他是一条鳄鱼 — using 鳄鱼 as a direct metaphor for a person is very informal and odd in formal writing; say 他是一个冷酷无情、唯利是图的人 for clarity in formal contexts

Origin & History

鳄 (phonosemantic: 鱼 fish radical + 咢 wide-jawed phonetic) + 鱼 (fish) — the wide-jawed fish-like reptile of tropical waters

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal