阎王 (Yánwang) · Yama, the King of Hell (in Buddhism)

Meanings

1 Yama, the King of Hell (in Buddhism)
2 (fig.) cruel and tyrannical person

About King Yama

King of the underworld in Chinese folk religion, taken from the Buddhist Yama: he judges the dead and keeps the book of life and death (生死簿). A cruel, frightening boss is called a 活阎王.

Also called 阎罗王、阎罗、阎王爷

Characters

阎

yán

Yama (transliteration)

王

wang

king

Examples

HSK 4

阎王叫你三更死，谁敢留人到五更？

Yánwang jiào nǐ sāngēng sǐ, shéi gǎn liú rén dào wǔgēng?

If Yama orders your death at midnight, who dares keep you alive till dawn?

HSK 5

那个老板像阎王一样可怕。

Nàge lǎobǎn xiàng Yánwang yíyàng kěpà.

That boss is as terrifying as the King of Hell.

Tips

culture

阎罗 shortens the Sanskrit Yamarāja, whose rāja part already means 'king', so 阎罗王 says 'king' twice. To 见阎王, 'go and see Yama', is a joking way to say 'to die'.

usage

The saying 阎王好见，小鬼难缠 means 'the big boss is easy to deal with, but his underlings are troublesome.'