歪

• Pinyin: wāi
• Hanzi breakdown: 歪 = 不 (not) + 正 (straight, upright) — literally 'not straight'

Meaning

Crooked; tilted; askew; devious. Something that is not straight, level, or upright — physically or morally.

Used for physical crookedness (a crooked picture, a tilted head) and moral crookedness (crooked ideas, devious behaviour). 歪门邪道 (crooked paths and evil ways) describes corrupt or underhanded methods. In informal speech, 歪 is very common for slight tilts. The moral usage appears more in formal criticism.

Examples

1. 你把那幅画挂歪了，左边低一点。 You hung that painting crooked — the left side is a bit lower.
2. 他总是用歪理强词夺理，让人无从反驳。 He always uses twisted logic to argue his way through, leaving no room for rebuttal.
3. 孩子坐姿太歪，长期下去会影响脊椎健康。 The child's sitting posture is too crooked; over the long term, it will affect the health of their spine.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, moral criticism, physical description

Tone: colloquial

Do Say

• 你的帽子戴歪了，调一下。(Your hat is on crooked — adjust it.)
• 走歪门邪道永远不会有好结果。(Taking crooked and devious paths will never lead to a good outcome.)

Don't Say

• 在正式文件中用'歪'代替'倾斜'或'偏差' (歪 sounds colloquial; formal writing prefers 倾斜 (tilt) or 偏差 (deviation))

Origin & History

The character 歪 is a clever semantic compound: 不 (not) + 正 (straight, upright) = not straight. A rare case where the character's logic is entirely transparent.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal