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二百五 (èr bǎi wǔ) — (slang) a fool, a simpleton, a dope

Definition

A slang insult meaning 'a fool or simpleton' — literally '250', from an old story where half a tael (半吊子) was mocked as 不成器的二百五. Use only in casual speech, not formal contexts.

noun
(slang) a foola simpletona dope
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 二百五，。
    Tā zhēn shì gè èr bǎi wǔ, lián zhè me jiǎn dān de shì dōu zuò bù hǎo.
    He's really a fool — can't even do such a simple thing.
  • 二百五。
    Bié xiàng gè èr bǎi wǔ yí yàng zhàn zài nà lǐ fā dāi.
    Don't stand there daydreaming like a fool.
  • 二百五，。
    Dà jiā dōu xiào tā shì gè èr bǎi wǔ, dàn tā zì jǐ yì diǎn yě bú zài hu.
    Everyone laughs at him for being a fool, but he doesn't care at all.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

二 is drawn as two parallel strokes, where the number of strokes shows the amount.

Open 二 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
一一yī
Sound part声符shēngfú
白
白bái百bǎi
Same sound today

百 combines 一, which carries the number meaning, with 白, which provides the sound.

Open 百 →

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

An older form had a crossed mark between a top bar and a bottom bar. The modern 五 keeps those bars, while the original idea is uncertain.

Open 五 →
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