恶劣
èliè · HSK 7
nasty
🤢 sounds like AIR-lee-EH — a vile nasty gust that makes you gag
恶 (è) means evil or bad, 劣 (liè) means inferior or poor quality. Together they amplify each other: something so bad its awful — vile, nasty, wretched conditions.
恶 — 亚 (yà) phonetic + 心 (heart) below
A semantic-phonetic compound: the heart radical 心 carries the meaning, while 亚 supplies the sound. Originally written 惡, it depicted a 'heart' beneath 亞, suggesting feelings of dislike or hatred. Over time it extended from 'to hate' (wù) to 'evil, bad' (è).