幸灾乐祸

幸災樂禍

xìngzāi-lèhuò

idiom #13,248

Meanings

1 to take pleasure in other people's misfortune; schadenfreude

Characters

to rejoice; fortunate

disaster; calamity

happy; to enjoy

misfortune; disaster

Examples

别幸灾乐祸了，帮帮他吧。

Bié xìngzāilèhuò le, bāngbang tā ba.

Stop gloating and help him.

看到对手失败，他忍不住幸灾乐祸。

Kàndào duìshǒu shībài, tā rěnbuzhù xìngzāilèhuò.

Seeing his rival fail, he couldn't help feeling schadenfreude.

Tips

memory

Literally 'rejoice-disaster-delight-misfortune'. Think of it as the Chinese equivalent of the German word 'Schadenfreude' -- taking joy in others' suffering.

Stroke Order

幸 xìng

灾 zāi

乐 lè

祸 huò