祸 huò misfortune
misfortune; disaster; calamity
How to remember 祸: 礻 sign + 呙 crooked mouth = misfortune. The fortune teller reads a bad sign in the cards, twists her crooked mouth and warns the young couple of a coming misfortune.
Component breakdown
祸 = 礻 sign + 呙 crooked mouth
- 礻 sign
- 呙 crooked mouth
The fortune teller reads a bad sign in the cards, twists her crooked mouth and warns the young couple of a coming misfortune.
How it is used
- Bound, fairly formal noun for "disaster, calamity" - you won't use it as a lone free word in speech.
- 车祸 (chēhuò) "traffic accident" is the one truly everyday compound, used constantly in news and conversation.
- 祸害 (huòhai) means "a scourge/menace" (both a noun for the harm and, colloquially, for a troublesome person).
- 罪魁祸首 (zuìkuí-huòshǒu) "chief culprit/ringleader" is a set four-character idiom for whoever is most to blame.