地狱

地獄

dìyù

noun HSK 7 #1,427

Meanings

1 hell; the underworld

Characters

Literally 'earth prison' — a prison beneath the ground.

Examples

那段经历简直就是人间地狱。

Nà duàn jīnglì jiǎnzhí jiùshì rénjiān dìyù.

That experience was literally a living hell.

佛教中有十八层地狱。

Fójiào zhōng yǒu shíbā céng dìyù.

In Buddhism there are eighteen levels of hell.

Tips

culture

In Chinese Buddhist and folk tradition, 地狱 has 18 levels (十八层地狱), each with a different punishment for specific sins. The ruler of hell is 阎王 (Yánwáng), borrowed from the Hindu deity Yama.

Stroke Order

地 dì

狱 yù