令人作呕

令人作嘔

lìngrénzuò'ǒu

idiom

Meanings

1 to make one want to vomit
2 nauseating; sickening
3 disgusting; revolting

Characters

to cause; to make

to do; to produce

Examples

他那虚伪的笑容真令人作呕。

Tā nà xūwěi de xiàoróng zhēn lìng rén zuò ǒu.

That phony smile of his is truly sickening.

厨房里的气味令人作呕，肯定是肉坏了。

Chúfáng lǐ de qìwèi lìng rén zuò ǒu, kěndìng shì ròu huài le.

The smell in the kitchen is nauseating — the meat must have gone bad.

这种阿谀奉承的话听了令人作呕。

Zhè zhǒng ēyú fèngchéng de huà tīngle lìng rén zuò ǒu.

This kind of fawning flattery is sickening to hear.

Tips

usage

Used both literally (bad smells, food, gore) and figuratively (hypocrisy, flattery, moral disgust). The figurative sense is far more common in writing.

register

Strong negative judgment — closer to English 'sickening' than 'gross'. Don't use it lightly; the speaker is signaling real contempt.

Stroke Order

令 lìng

人 rén

作 zuò

呕 ǒu