元凶

yuánxiōng

noun #17,403

Measure Word

一名元凶 míng

Meanings

1 chief offender; main culprit
2 prime suspect; mastermind

Characters

primary; first; origin

fierce; evil; murder

Literally 'primary evil-doer' — the one most responsible for a crime or disaster.

Examples

警方终于抓到了这起案件的元凶。

Jǐngfāng zhōngyú zhuādào le zhè qǐ ànjiàn de yuánxiōng.

The police finally caught the mastermind behind this case.

空气污染是引发这种疾病的元凶。

Kōngqì wūrǎn shì yǐnfā zhè zhǒng jíbìng de yuánxiōng.

Air pollution is the main culprit behind this disease.

Stroke Order

元 yuán

凶 xiōng