狰

猙
zhēng
adjective

Meanings

  1. 1 (in 狰狞) ferocious; hideous

Examples

HSK 7-9
Tā de liǎn tūrán biàn de zhēngníng qǐlái.
His face suddenly turned hideous.
HSK 7-9
Guàiwu lùchū zhēngníng de miànmù.
The monster bared a ferocious expression.

Tips

usage
Only used in 狰狞, which describes a frightening, savage facial expression. It is not used on its own.

Components

radical
犭 quǎn
dog; beast
The side-form of the dog radical 犬 places this character among words for beasts; 狰 originally named a legendary fierce animal, hence the brutal connotation.
phonetic
争 zhēng
to fight; contend
Gives the sound zhēng, and its sense of fighting reinforces the savage, snarling flavour of 狰狞.

Stroke Order

狰 zhēng