奴才 (nú cái) — slave, servant (especially in imperial contexts, e.g., Qing dynasty); lackey, toady, servile person (figurative, derogatory)

Definition

Historical self-reference used by officials addressing the emperor in imperial China, especially the Qing dynasty. Figuratively, it means 'servile toady' — a strong, derogatory insult for someone who flatters power.

noun
slaveservant (especially in imperial contexts, e.g., Qing dynasty)lackeytoadyservile person (figurative, derogatory)

Beispiele

  • 奴才
    Gǔ dài de nú cái méi yǒu zì yóu.
    Slaves in ancient times had no freedom.
  • 奴才
    Tā duì lǎo bǎn de tài dù xiàng gè nú cái, zhēn ràng rén bù shū fu.
    His attitude toward the boss is like a lackey, really uncomfortable.
  • 奴才
    Zài qīng cháo, guān yuán cháng zài huáng dì miàn qián zì chēng nú cái.
    In the Qing dynasty, officials often called themselves 'slave' before the emperor.

Entdecke weitere HSK-7-9-Wörter oder durchsuche das komplette Wörterbuch mit 43.000 Wörtern.