蛇蝎 (shéxiē): snakes and scorpions

Meanings

1 snakes and scorpions
2 (figurative) malevolent / treacherous person
3 venomous and cruel

Characters

蛇

Examples

她有一颗蛇蝎般的心肠。

Tā yǒu yī kē shéxiē bān de xīncháng.

She has a heart as venomous as snakes and scorpions.

蛇蝎美人在小说里很常见。

Shéxiē měirén zài xiǎoshuō lǐ hěn chángjiàn.

Femme fatales are very common in novels.

Tips

culture

蛇蝎心肠 ('snake-and-scorpion heart') = utterly venomous and cruel. 蛇蝎美人 is the standard Chinese term for 'femme fatale' — a beautiful but deadly woman, like noir cinema's Phyllis Dietrichson. Both creatures stand for treachery: invisible, then striking.