A2 adjective Neutral 1 min read

可怕

kěpà /kʰə̌.pʰa˥/

Kěpà describes things or situations that are frightening, terrible, or awful.

Word in 30 Seconds

  • Describes things that cause fear or dread.
  • Used for dangerous situations, bad events, or scary things.
  • Stronger than 'scared', describes the source of fear.

Overview

“可怕”是一个形容词,用来描述令人感到害怕、恐惧或不安的事物、情况或感觉。它表达了一种强烈的负面情绪,通常与危险、威胁、不幸或令人不适的体验相关。这个词的程度比较高,比“不好”或“害怕”的程度更深。

“可怕”通常用来形容:

**抽象的概念**:例如,可怕的念头、可怕的计划。

“可怕”经常出现在以下语境中:

  • 描述危险或威胁:比如,动物园里的狮子很可怕;夜晚一个人走在街上很可怕。
  • 描述不幸或悲惨的事件:比如,地震造成了可怕的损失;这是一场可怕的灾难。
  • 描述令人不适或恐惧的体验:比如,恐怖电影里的情节很可怕;我做了个可怕的梦。
  • 表达强烈的负面评价:比如,他的行为太可怕了;这种天气真可怕。

“害怕”更侧重于人的主观感受,指因感到危险或威胁而产生恐惧心理。而“可怕”更多地用来形容引起这种恐惧的事物或情况本身。

“恐怖”通常指非常强烈的、令人极度恐惧的,常用于形容暴力、血腥或极度危险的场面或事物,比“可怕”的程度更甚,带有更强的惊悚意味。

“恐惧”比“害怕”程度更深,是一种强烈的、难以控制的害怕情绪。它通常由非常严重的威胁或危险引起。“可怕”是引起“恐惧”的原因。

“糟糕”形容事情的状况非常不好,但通常不直接包含“害怕”的含义,更多是表示差劲、坏到极点。比如,今天的考试很糟糕,但并不一定可怕。

Examples

1

这只鬼怪看起来很可怕。

everyday

This monster looks very scary.

2

战争带来了可怕的灾难和破坏。

formal

War brought terrible disasters and destruction.

3

天呐,刚才那个消息太可怕了!

informal

Oh my god, that news just now was too awful!

4

全球变暖可能导致可怕的气候后果。

academic

Global warming may lead to dreadful climatic consequences.

Common Collocations

可怕的后果 terrible consequences
可怕的声音 frightening sound
可怕的景象 terrible sight
可怕的事故 terrible accident

Common Phrases

真是可怕

It's truly terrible/awful

可怕极了

Extremely frightening

太可怕了

Too terrible/scary

Often Confused With

可怕 vs 害怕

'Kěpà' describes the thing or situation that causes fear, while 'hàipà' describes the feeling of being scared experienced by a person.

可怕 vs 糟糕

'Kěpà' implies fear or dread, whereas 'zāogāo' simply means bad or terrible in a general sense, without necessarily evoking fear.

Grammar Patterns

可怕 + 的 + 名词 (e.g., 可怕的怪物) 感到 + 可怕 (e.g., 我感到可怕) (某事物)很/非常/太 + 可怕 (e.g., 这个消息很可怕)

How to Use It

Usage Notes

Generally used to describe things that evoke fear or strong negative feelings. It is a common adjective in everyday language. Can be used to describe both concrete objects and abstract situations.


Common Mistakes

Learners sometimes confuse 'kěpà' (describing the source of fear) with 'hàipà' (the feeling of fear). Remember that 'kěpà' modifies the noun, while 'hàipà' describes the subject's emotional state.

Tips

💡

Use for Strong Negative Feelings

Use 'kěpà' when you want to express a strong sense of fear, dread, or that something is truly terrible.

⚠️

Avoid Overuse

While 'kěpà' is useful, avoid using it for minor inconveniences. Use milder words like 'bù hǎo' (not good) or 'fán' (annoying) for less severe situations.

🌍

Ghost Stories and Folklore

In Chinese culture, 'kěpà' is frequently used when discussing ghost stories, folklore, or supernatural events that evoke fear.

Word Origin

The character '可' (kě) originally meant 'able to', and '怕' (pà) means 'fear'. Together, '可怕' literally means 'able to cause fear' or 'worthy of fear'.

Cultural Context

In Chinese culture, discussions about ghosts, spirits, and the supernatural often involve the word 'kěpà' to describe the frightening nature of these entities or events.

Memory Tip

Think of 'kěpà' sounding like 'care pa!' (careful, dad!) when you see something scary. The 'pa!' sound itself evokes a startled reaction.

Frequently Asked Questions

4 questions

“可怕”用来形容引起害怕的事物或情况,而“害怕”是人主观感受到的恐惧情绪。例如,怪物很可怕,所以我们感到害怕。

“可怕”可以用在很多地方,可以形容具体的东西(可怕的蛇)、抽象的事情(可怕的后果)或者人的感觉(感到可怕)。

是的,“可怕”是一个程度比较深的词,表示事物或情况非常不好,足以引起强烈的恐惧或不安。

有的,比如“恐怖”可以用来形容更极端、更惊悚的场面或感受,程度比“可怕”更深。

Test Yourself

fill blank

昨晚我做了一个_______的梦。

Correct! Not quite. Correct answer: 可怕

梦境的内容令人恐惧,所以用“可怕”来形容梦的内容最合适。

multiple choice

看到那只巨大的毒蜘蛛,他感到非常_______。

Correct! Not quite. Correct answer: 害怕

这句话描述的是人的主观感受,看到毒蜘蛛引起了恐惧,所以用“害怕”。

sentence building

请用“可怕”和“后果”组成一个句子。

Correct! Not quite. Correct answer: 他不懂可怕的后果。

“可怕”作为形容词修饰名词“后果”,构成“可怕的后果”。

Score: /3

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