Definition
杀气 (shā qì) is a noun that describes a fierce, murderous look on a person's face or a tense, dangerous atmosphere in a place. It literally means 'killing aura' and is common in martial arts fiction and real-life confrontations. Be careful — the English gloss 'vent one's spleen' is a verb phrase that does not match the noun usage of 杀气 in modern Chinese.
n.
a fiercemurderous look or expressiona menacingdangerous atmosphere
Examples
- 杀气。Tā de yǎnshén lǐ chōngmǎn le shā qì.His eyes were full of murderous aura.
- 杀气,。Fángjiān lǐ mímàn zhe yì gǔ shā qì, ràng rén hěn bù shūfu.The room was filled with a murderous atmosphere, making people very uncomfortable.
- 杀气。Nà ge shāshǒu shēn shàng sànfā chū lìng rén kǒngjù de shā qì.That killer exuded a terrifying murderous aura.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.