厲害

See also: 厉害

Chinese

	severe	to do harm to; to cause trouble to; harm to do harm to; to cause trouble to; harm; evil; calamity
trad. (厲害)	厲	害
simp. (厉害)	厉	害
alternative forms	利害

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): lìhài

(Zhuyin): ㄌㄧˋ ㄏㄞˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): lai⁶ hoi⁶ / lei⁶ hoi⁶
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): li-hoi
Jin (Wiktionary): li³ hai^3-2
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): lī-hāi

(Teochew, Peng'im): li⁶ hai⁷
Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁶li-ghe

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)
  - Hanyu Pinyin: lìhài → lìhai (toneless final syllable variant)
  - Zhuyin: ㄌㄧˋ ㄏㄞˋ → ㄌㄧˋ ˙ㄏㄞ (toneless final syllable variant)
  - Tongyong Pinyin: lìhåi
  - Wade–Giles: li⁴-hai⁵
  - Yale: lì-hai
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: lih.hay
  - Palladius: лихай (lixaj)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /li⁵¹⁻⁵³ xaɪ̯⁵¹/ → /li⁵¹ xaɪ̯¹/
  - Homophones:
    [Show/Hide]
    ^edit
    ^edit
    利害
    厲害 / 厉害
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: lai⁶ hoi⁶ / lei⁶ hoi⁶
  - Yale: laih hoih / leih hoih
  - Cantonese Pinyin: lai⁶ hoi⁶ / lei⁶ hoi⁶
  - Guangdong Romanization: lei⁶ hoi⁶ / léi⁶ hoi⁶
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /lɐi̯²² hɔːi̯²²/, /lei̯²² hɔːi̯²²/
  - Homophones:
    ^edit
    ^edit
    利害
    厲害 / 厉害
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: li-hoi
  - Hakka Romanization System: li hoi
  - Hagfa Pinyim: li⁴ hoi⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /li⁵⁵ hoi̯⁵⁵/
Jin
- (Taiyuan)⁺
  - Wiktionary: li³ hai^3-2
  - Sinological IPA (old-style): /li⁴⁵ xai⁴⁵⁻⁵³/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lī-hāi
  - Tâi-lô: lī-hāi
  - Phofsit Daibuun: lixhai
  - IPA (Xiamen): /li²²⁻²¹ hai²²/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /li⁴¹⁻²² hai⁴¹/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /li²²⁻²¹ hai²²/
  - IPA (Taipei): /li³³⁻¹¹ hai³³/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /li³³⁻²¹ hai³³/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: li⁶ hai⁷
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: lĭ hāi
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /li³⁵⁻¹¹ hai¹¹/
Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ⁶li-ghe
  - MiniDict: li^去 ghe
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³li-hhe
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /li²² ɦe⁴⁴/

Adjective

厲害

(of a wild animal, a person's temper, words, etc.) fierce
strict; stern; severe
(of illness, heat, cold, etc.) intense; severe; serious
這兒一個路燈都沒有，虧得我雀盲眼不算厲害，沒摔著什麼伍的。 [dialectal Mandarin, trad.]
这儿一个路灯都没有，亏得我雀盲眼不算厉害，没摔着什么伍的。 [dialectal Mandarin, simp.]
Zhàr yī ge lùdēng dōu méiyǒu, kuīde wǒ qiǎomangyǎn bùsuàn lìhai, méi shuāi zhe shénmewǔde. [Pinyin]
There wasn't a single streetlamp here. Thankfully my nightblindness isn't serious, so I didn't fall or anything.
(informal) excellent; amazing; fantastic; impressive

Synonyms

(fierce):

edit

兇惡 / 凶恶 (xiōng'è)
兇殘 / 凶残 (xiōngcán)
兇狠 / 凶狠 (xiōnghěn)
兇猛 / 凶猛 (xiōngměng)
兇險 / 凶险 (xiōngxiǎn)
凶暴 (xiōngbào)
嚴酷 / 严酷 (yánkù)
強暴 / 强暴 (qiángbào)
忍 (rěn) (literary)
惡勢 / 恶势 (Xiamen Hokkien)
惡毒 / 恶毒 (èdú)
惡狠狠 / 恶狠狠 (èhěnhěn)
慘 / 惨 (cǎn) (literary, or in compounds)
暴力 (bàolì)
暴戾 (bàolì) (literary)
暴虐 (bàonüè)
暴躁 (bàozào)
橫逆 / 横逆 (Xiamen Hokkien, Zhangzhou Hokkien, Taiwanese Hokkien)
殘 / 残 (cán) (literary,or in compounds)
殘忍 / 残忍 (cánrěn)
殘暴 / 残暴 (cánbào)
殘酷 / 残酷 (cánkù)
毒辣 (dúlà)
烏心 / 乌心 (Min Nan)
狠心 (hěnxīn)
狠毒 (hěndú)
狠狠 (hěnhěn)
猙獰 / 狰狞 (zhēngníng)
粗殘 / 粗残 (Xiamen Hokkien)
辣 (là)
酷烈 (kùliè)
野蠻 / 野蛮 (yěmán)
陰功 / 阴功 (jam¹ gung¹) (Cantonese)
險惡 / 险恶 (xiǎn'è)
黑心 (hēixīn)

(strict):

edit

嚴 / 严 (yán)
嚴厲 / 严厉 (yánlì)
嚴峻 / 严峻 (yánjùn)
嚴正 / 严正 (yánzhèng)
嚴肅 / 严肃 (yánsù)
嚴酷 / 严酷 (yánkù)
尊重 (zūnzhòng)
整肅 / 整肃 (zhěngsù)
正經 / 正经
淩厲 / 凌厉 (línglì) (literary)
狠狠 (hěnhěn)
矜持 (jīnchí)
莊 / 庄 (zhuāng)
莊重 / 庄重 (zhuāngzhòng)
鄭重 / 郑重 (zhèngzhòng)

(intense):

edit

劇烈 / 剧烈 (jùliè)
嚴 / 严 (yán)
尖銳 / 尖锐 (jiānruì)
強烈 / 强烈 (qiángliè)
急劇 / 急剧 (jíjù)
急驟 / 急骤 (jízhòu)
激
激烈 (jīliè)
火熱 / 火热 (huǒrè)
熾烈 / 炽烈 (chìliè) (figurative)
狂 (kuáng) (literary, or in compounds)
猛烈 (měngliè)

(excellent):

edit

不得了 (bùdéliǎo) (colloquial)
了不得 (colloquial)
了不起 (liǎobùqǐ) (colloquial)
了勿起 (Wu)
佼佼 (jiǎojiǎo) (literary)
俊偉 / 俊伟 (jùnwěi) (literary)
偉大 / 伟大 (wěidà)
傑出 / 杰出 (jiéchū)
傲人 (àorén) (nowadays especially of breasts, body curve)
優異 / 优异 (yōuyì)
優秀 / 优秀 (yōuxiù)
優越 / 优越 (yōuyuè)
出挑 (chhut-thio) (Quanzhou Hokkien)
出擢 (Hokkien)
出眾 / 出众 (chūzhòng)
出腳 / 出脚 (Hokkien)
出色 (chūsè)
勢面 / 势面 (Hokkien)
勿得了 (Wu)
卓然 (zhuórán) (literary)
卓犖 / 卓荦 (zhuóluò) (literary)
卓異 / 卓异 (zhuóyì) (literary)
卓著 / 卓着 (zhuózhù)
卓越 (zhuóyuè)
咧斗 (Zhangzhou Hokkien)
咧斗 (Zhangzhou Hokkien)
好極了 / 好极了 (hǎo jíle)
尤異 / 尤异 (yóuyì) (literary)
崢嶸 / 峥嵘 (zhēngróng)
彰顯 / 彰显 (zhāngxiǎn)
惡實 / 恶实 (o⁵ shr⁶) (Xiang, used as a complement)
打得 (Hakka)
挺 (tǐng)
斐然 (fěirán)
棒 (bàng) (colloquial)
標青 / 标青 (biu¹ ceng¹) (Cantonese, Teochew)
漂亮
炳 (bǐng) (literary)
牛 (niú) (Mandarin, slang)
牛鬼 (Guilin Mandarin)
特出 (tèchū)
特異 / 特异 (tèyì)
犀利 (xīlì) (originally Cantonese, sometimes Mandarin)
皦皦 (jiǎojiǎo) (literary)
看家 (kānjiā) (attributive, of skill, ability, etc.)
穩 / 稳 (wěn) (slang, neologism)
突出 (tūchū)
英英 (yīngyīng) (literary)
蓋帽 / 盖帽 (gàimào) (slang)
表表 (biǎobiǎo) (literary)
超凡 (chāofán)
超卓 (chāozhuó) (literary)
超常 (chāocháng)
超拔 (chāobá) (literary)
超絕 / 超绝 (chāojué)
非凡 (fēifán)
響噹噹 / 响当当 (xiǎngdāngdāng)
顯著 / 显着 (xiǎnzhù)
高強 / 高强 (gāoqiáng)

Dialectal synonyms of 厲害 (“impressive; excellent; amazing; fantastic”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	牛, 牛兒, 牛屄 vulgar
	Taiwan	厲害, 棒
	Malaysia	厲害, 夠力
	Singapore	厲害
Cantonese	Guangzhou	犀利, 勁
	Hong Kong	犀利, 勁, 勁抽, 堅抽
	Penang (Guangfu)	犀利
	Singapore (Guangfu)	犀利, 勁
Hakka	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	厲害, 慶
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	厲害, 慶, 壁
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	厲害, 慶
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	厲害, 慶
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	厲害, 慶
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	厲害, 慶
	Hong Kong	叻
	Kuching (Hepo)	慶
Southern Min	Xiamen	厲害
	Shishi	厲害
	Zhao'an	厲害
	Tainan	厲害
	Penang (Hokkien)	厲害
	Singapore (Hokkien)	厲害, 勥, 𠢕
	Manila (Hokkien)	厲害, 勥, 𠢕
	Puning	厲害, 野
	Haifeng	厲害
	Singapore (Teochew)	厲害
Wu	Shanghai	結棍
	Suzhou	結棍
	Wuxi	結棍
	Hangzhou	結棍
	Ningbo	結棍
Xiang	Changsha	䏧腮

Derived terms

心歹無人知，喙歹上厲害 / 心歹无人知，喙歹上厉害

Descendants

→ Indonesian: lihai