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三八 (sān bā) — (colloquial, derogatory) silly, naive, or acting in an overly feminine/gossipy manner

Definition

Derogatory slang for a woman seen as silly, nosy, or gossipy. Only used colloquially among friends as a tease — avoid with strangers, in writing, or about men.

adjective
(colloquial, derogatory) silly, naive, or acting in an overly feminine/gossipy manner

Examples

  • 三八？
    Nǐ bié nà me sān bā hǎo bu hǎo?
    Don't be so silly/annoying, okay?
  • 三八，三八。
    Tā zǒng shuō bié rén sān bā, qí shí zì jǐ zuì sān bā.
    She's always calling others silly, but she's actually the silliest one.
  • 三八，。
    Péng you zhī jiān kāi diǎn wán xiào kě yǐ shuō sān bā, dàn bié dàng zhēn.
    Among friends, you can say '三八' as a joke, but don't take it seriously.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

三sānthree
八bāeight

三 (three) and 八 (eight) are paired numerals that became a slang label for silly behavior.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

三 is drawn as three parallel strokes, like 一 with one stroke and 二 with two.

Open 三 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

八 shows two bent lines, indicating the original meaning 'to divide'; it was later used for 'eight' because the words sounded alike.

Open 八 →
Appears in
Personality & Traits

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