歹人 (dǎi rén) — evil person, villain; thief, burglar

Definition

歹人 is a formal or literary term for 'evil person' or 'villain,' often used in historical fiction, martial arts novels, or formal accusations. It carries a strong moral judgment and is not used in casual conversation — you'd more commonly hear 坏人 (huàirén) in daily speech. The word appears in set phrases like 歹人作恶 ('villains commit evil').

evil personvillainthiefburglar

Examples

歹人。
Nà ge dǎi rén tōu le cūn lǐ de liángshi.
That villain stole the village's grain.
歹人。
Shū zhōng miáoxiě le yì qún dǎi rén zài yè lǐ xíngdòng.
The book describes a group of villains acting at night.
歹人。
Tā jǐnggào dàjiā yào xiǎoxīn dǎi rén.
He warned everyone to be careful of evil people.

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