激怒

jī nù: 激怒 - To Infuriate, Enrage, Provoke

Quick Summary

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  • Summary: Learn how to use 激怒 (jī nù), the powerful Chinese verb for “to infuriate” or “enrage.” This comprehensive guide explores its meaning, character breakdown, cultural context, and practical usage in modern China. Understand the critical difference between being merely angry (生气, shēngqì) and being truly provoked. Discover how to use 激怒 correctly in sentences to express intense anger and avoid common mistakes made by Mandarin learners.

Core Meaning

  • Pinyin (with tone marks): jī nù
  • Part of Speech: Verb (transitive)
  • HSK Level: HSK 5
  • Concise Definition: To provoke someone to the point of extreme anger; to infuriate or enrage.
  • In a Nutshell: 激怒 (jī nù) isn't just about the *feeling* of anger; it's the *action* of causing it. Think of it as pushing someone's buttons until they explode. It's a much stronger and more active word than the common term for “angry,” 生气 (shēngqì). If 生气 is the fire, 激怒 is the act of pouring gasoline on it.

Character Breakdown

  • 激 (jī): The left part (氵) is the “water” radical. The right side provides the sound and a sense of “fierce” or “to strike.” Together, 激 means to surge, to arouse, or to stimulate intensely, like water crashing violently against rocks.
  • 怒 (nù): The character for “anger” or “rage.” The bottom component is the “heart” radical (心), showing it's an emotion. The top part (奴) originally meant “slave,” suggesting a feeling of powerlessness, resentment, and fury from the heart.
  • When combined, 激怒 (jī nù) literally means “to stimulate rage” or “to cause anger to surge up,” perfectly capturing the idea of provoking someone to a state of intense fury.

Cultural Context and Significance

  • The act of deliberately 激怒 someone is a significant social transgression in Chinese culture, which highly values social harmony (和谐, héxié). While Western cultures might sometimes see expressing “righteous indignation” as a sign of authenticity or strength, traditional Chinese culture often views losing one's temper, especially in public, as a loss of composure and, critically, a loss of “face” (面子, miànzi).
  • Therefore, to 激怒 someone is not just to make them mad; it's to push them toward a state where they might break social norms and lose face. This makes the action particularly aggressive and disrespectful. It implies a direct challenge to another person's self-control and social standing. In many situations, it is seen as a deliberate attempt to sabotage a relationship or create chaos.

Practical Usage in Modern China

  • Formality: 激怒 is a strong word that can be used in both formal and informal contexts, though it carries a serious tone.
  • In Formal Settings: It is frequently used in news reports, official statements, and historical texts to describe conflicts. For example, “The policy 激怒-ed the citizens.”
  • In Daily Conversation: People use it to describe serious provocations, not minor annoyances. It often appears in confrontational questions like, “Are you intentionally trying to 激怒 me?” (你是不是故意要激怒我？).
  • On Social Media: 激怒 is extremely common online to describe public outrage over social injustices, scandals, or controversial opinions. A headline might read, “This one sentence 激怒-ed the entire internet!” (一句话激怒了全网!).
  • Connotation: Its connotation is overwhelmingly negative. It describes a hostile act that results in a destructive emotion.

Example Sentences

  • Example 1:
    • 他的无礼评论激怒了在场的所有人。
    • Pinyin: Tā de wúlǐ pínglùn jī nù le zàichǎng de suǒyǒu rén.
    • English: His rude comments infuriated everyone present.
    • Analysis: A classic example of an action (rude comments) causing the reaction of 激怒 in a group of people.
  • Example 2:
    • 你最好不要去激怒那只狗。
    • Pinyin: Nǐ zuìhǎo bùyào qù jī nù nà zhī gǒu.
    • English: You'd better not go and provoke that dog.
    • Analysis: This shows that 激怒 can be used for animals as well as people. It's a direct warning against a provocative action.
  • Example 3:
    • 政府的决定激怒了广大民众。
    • Pinyin: Zhèngfǔ de juédìng jī nù le guǎngdà mínzhòng.
    • English: The government's decision enraged the general public.
    • Analysis: This is a common structure used in formal or news contexts to describe public anger.
  • Example 4:
    • 我被他的谎言彻底激怒了。
    • Pinyin: Wǒ bèi tā de huǎngyán chèdǐ jī nù le.
    • English: I was completely enraged by his lies.
    • Analysis: This sentence uses the passive voice with 被 (bèi) to emphasize that the speaker is the recipient of the anger-provoking action. The adverb 彻底 (chèdǐ) means “completely,” intensifying the emotion.
  • Example 5:
    • 你说这些话是想激怒我吗？
    • Pinyin: Nǐ shuō zhèxiē huà shì xiǎng jī nù wǒ ma?
    • English: Are you saying these things because you want to provoke me?
    • Analysis: A common rhetorical question used during a confrontation to accuse someone of deliberate provocation.
  • Example 6:
    • 保持冷静，不要让他的话激怒你。
    • Pinyin: Bǎochí lěngjìng, bùyào ràng tā de huà jī nù nǐ.
    • English: Stay calm, don't let his words enrage you.
    • Analysis: This sentence uses 让 (ràng), meaning “to let” or “to allow,” showing how one can resist being provoked.
  • Example 7:
    • 球队的惨败激怒了他们的球迷。
    • Pinyin: Qiúduì de cǎnbài jī nù le tāmen de qiúmí.
    • English: The team's disastrous defeat infuriated their fans.
    • Analysis: Here, the subject is an event (the defeat) rather than a person or their words.
  • Example 8:
    • 这种不公平的待遇足以激怒任何人。
    • Pinyin: Zhè zhǒng bù gōngpíng de dàiyù zúyǐ jī nù rènhé rén.
    • English: This kind of unfair treatment is enough to infuriate anyone.
    • Analysis: The phrase 足以 (zúyǐ) means “is enough to,” highlighting the severity of the provocation.
  • Example 9:
    • 反复的噪音快要把我激怒了。
    • Pinyin: Fǎnfù de zàoyīn kuài yào bǎ wǒ jī nù le.
    • English: The repetitive noise is about to drive me mad (infuriate me).
    • Analysis: The structure “快要…了” (kuài yào…le) indicates that the state of being infuriated is imminent.
  • Example 10:
    • 他似乎很享受激怒别人的过程。
    • Pinyin: Tā sìhū hěn xiǎngshòu jī nù biérén de guòchéng.
    • English: He seems to enjoy the process of provoking other people.
    • Analysis: This sentence treats “激怒别人” (provoking others) as a noun phrase, the object of the verb “enjoy” (享受).

Nuances and Common Mistakes

  • `激怒 (jī nù)` vs. `生气 (shēngqì)`: This is the most critical distinction for learners.
    • 生气 (shēngqì) is a state of being: “to be angry.” It functions like an adjective.
    • 激怒 (jī nù) is an action: “to make someone angry.” It is a transitive verb that requires an object.
    • Correct: 他很生气。 (Tā hěn shēngqì.) - He is very angry.
    • INCORRECT: 他很激怒。 (Tā hěn jī nù.)
    • Correct: 他的话激怒了我。 (Tā de huà jī nù le wǒ.) - His words infuriated me.
    • Correct: 他的话让我很生气。 (Tā de huà ràng wǒ hěn shēngqì.) - His words made me very angry. (Notice `生气` needs a causative verb like `让` to express a similar idea).
  • Overuse for Minor Annoyance: Do not use 激怒 for simple frustration or annoyance. It implies a high degree of anger and provocation. For being merely “annoyed” or “bothered,” a better word is 烦 (fán) or 恼火 (nǎohuǒ).
    • Incorrect: The long line at the bank 激怒-ed me. (The emotion is too strong).
    • Better: The long line at the bank made me very annoyed. (银行的长队让我很烦).

Related Terms and Concepts

  • * 生气 (shēngqì) - To be angry. The emotional state that results from being `激怒`-ed.
  • * 愤怒 (fènnù) - Fury, rage (noun); furious (adjective). A synonym for the intense anger caused by `激怒`. `愤怒` is the emotion itself, while `激怒` is the act of causing it.
  • * 惹 (rě) - To provoke, to offend, to ask for (trouble). A more colloquial and common verb for provoking someone, often used in warnings like “别惹我” (bié rě wǒ - Don't mess with me).
  • * 挑衅 (tiǎoxìn) - To provoke, to defy, to taunt. This term focuses more on the goading, challenging action that is used to `激怒` someone.
  • * 发火 (fā huǒ) - To lose one's temper, to fly into a rage. This is the outward explosion of anger, often the result of being `激怒`-ed.
  • * 恼火 (nǎohuǒ) - To be annoyed, irritated, vexed. A less intense feeling than the rage associated with `激怒`.
  • * 得罪 (dézuì) - To offend, to displease someone. This is a common social consequence of actions that might `激怒` a person.
  • * 面子 (miànzi) - “Face”; social standing, reputation. Publicly embarrassing someone or causing them to lose `面子` is a powerful way to `激怒` them.