罪恶
zuì è · HSK 6
evil
⛓️😈 罪 guilt + 恶 evil = crime and sin combined
罪 (zuì) means guilt or crime on its own; 恶 (è) means evil or wicked. Together they reinforce each other into a heavy word covering sin, crime, and moral evil. Sounds like 'zway uh' — away from good.
罪 — net 罒 (top) + wrong 非 (bottom)
罪 combines 罒 (net) over 非 (wrong), suggesting catching wrongdoing in a net. Originally the character 辠 (with 自 nose + 辛 punishment) meant 'crime,' but Emperor Qin Shi Huang found 辠 too similar to 皇 (emperor) and replaced it with 罪. Today it means crime, guilt, or sin.
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).