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俗气 (sú qì) — vulgar, tacky; clichéd, banal

Definition

Means 'tacky / vulgar / clichéd' — used to judge taste, behavior, or ideas as unrefined or unoriginal. Stronger and more judgmental than 雅 (elegant); closer to 庸俗 but more colloquial.

adjective
vulgartackyclichédbanal

Examples

  • 俗气，。
    Zhè jiàn yī fu de yán sè tài sú qì le, wǒ bù xǐ huan.
    The color of this dress is too tacky; I don't like it.
  • 俗气，。
    Nà ge xiào hua hěn sú qì, wǒ zǎo jiù tīng guò le.
    That joke is very clichéd; I've heard it long ago.
  • 俗气，。
    Tā de xíng wéi hěn sú qì, dà jiā dōu bù xǐ huan tā.
    His behavior is very vulgar; everyone dislikes him.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

俗súvulgar
气qìair

俗 “vulgar” and 气 “air” combine to suggest a vulgar manner.

Characters in this word

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
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
谷
谷gǔ俗sú
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

俗 is built from 亻, a person, and 谷, which gives the sound; it refers to customs of people.

Open 俗 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 氣; 气 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
气
气qì氣qì
Same sound today

The traditional form 氣 pairs 米 (rice) with 气, which supplies the sound; the simplified 气 is a later abbreviation.

Open 气 →
Appears in
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