杀手

• Pinyin: shā shǒu
• Hanzi breakdown: 杀 = 朱 (phonetic) + 殳 (weapon for striking) = to kill; 手 = hand/agent = a skilled practitioner — 杀手 = a person skilled in killing

Meaning

Killer; assassin; hitman. A person who kills for hire or as a profession.

Used in crime, action, and news contexts. 职业杀手 = professional assassin. Also used as a powerful metaphor: 无声杀手 (silent killer, e.g., high blood pressure), 健康杀手 (health killer), 经济杀手 (economic killer). The metaphorical use is widespread in journalism and public health communication.

Examples

1. 这部动作电影的主角是一名职业杀手，因意外卷入一场政治阴谋而被迫逃亡，最终选择与昔日雇主正面对决。 The action film’s protagonist is a professional assassin who is forced into the run after getting accidentally caught up in a political conspiracy, and ultimately chooses to confront his former employer head-on.
2. 医学研究表明，长期缺乏睡眠是现代人健康的重大杀手之一，其危害程度不亚于吸烟和过度饮酒。 Medical research shows that chronic sleep deprivation is one of the major killers of modern health, with harm comparable to smoking and excessive drinking.
3. 警方在经过长达数月的秘密追查后，终于将这名在多起跨国谋杀案中充当受雇杀手的嫌疑人逮捕归案。 After months of covert investigation, police finally arrested the suspect who served as a hired killer in multiple cross-border murder cases.

Usage Guide

Context: crime, action, journalism, health

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 饮食中摄入过量的反式脂肪酸被营养学家称为心血管健康的头号杀手，长期食用会显著增加心脏病和中风的发病风险。(Excessive consumption of trans fatty acids in the diet has been called the number one killer of cardiovascular health by nutritionists; long-term consumption significantly increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.)
• 这名连环案嫌疑人据信是一位受过专业训练的职业杀手，其犯罪手法之隐蔽和精准令刑侦专家大为震惊。(The suspect in this serial case is believed to be a professionally trained assassin; the concealment and precision of his criminal methods deeply shocked forensic investigators.)

Don't Say

• 他是个球场杀手 — while 杀手 can be used metaphorically in sports, specify clearly as 得分杀手 (scoring machine) or 对方防线的杀手; standalone 球场杀手 is ambiguous and awkward

Origin & History

杀 = 朱 (phonetic) + 殳 (weapon/strike) = to kill; 手 = hand/agent = person skilled in an action — 杀手 = one who kills by craft

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal