凶残

• Pinyin: xiōng cán
• Hanzi breakdown: 凶 = 凵 + 乂 (fierce/inauspicious); 残 = 歹 + 戋 (cruel/brutal/残忍)

Meaning

Brutal and cruel; ferocious and savage. Describes extreme cruelty combined with ferocity, typically in contexts of violence or crime.

A strong negative adjective. Stronger than 残忍 alone; 凶 adds ferocity to cruelty. Used to describe criminals, acts of violence, or aggressive predatory animals. Common in formal and journalistic writing.

Examples

1. 法庭在审理这起凶残的犯罪案件时，所有陪审员都深感震惊与强烈愤慨。 As the court tried this brutal criminal case, every juror felt deeply shocked and outraged.
2. 这名凶残的连环罪犯最终被判处死刑，正义得到了彰显。 The brutal serial offender was ultimately sentenced to death, and justice was served.
3. 野外探险者必须了解当地凶残动物的习性，以采取有效的防范措施。 Wilderness explorers must understand the habits of the area’s savage animals so they can take effective precautions.

Usage Guide

Context: law, crime reporting, news

Tone: negative

Do Say

• 警方公布了这名凶残罪犯的犯罪经历，提醒市民提高自我防范意识。(Police released the criminal history of this brutal offender, reminding residents to heighten their self-protection awareness.)
• 历史上一些凶残的暴君以极端暴力维持统治，最终走向众叛亲离的覆灭。(Some brutal tyrants in history maintained their rule through extreme violence, ultimately meeting their downfall amid universal condemnation.)

Don't Say

• 凶残的天气 — 凶残 describes human or animal brutality; for severe weather use 恶劣 or 猛烈; applying 凶残 to inanimate phenomena is a category error

Origin & History

凶 (ferocious/fierce) + 残 (cruel/brutal) — ferocity and cruelty combined

Cultural Context

Era: Traditional to Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal