光棍 (guāng gùn) — bachelor, unmarried man; (colloquial) hoodlum, ruffian, tough guy; (dialectal) brave man, fearless person
Definition
A single word covers two unrelated meanings: an unmarried man (the everyday sense, as in 打光棍 'stay single'), and a colloquial 'tough/rough guy' (like saying 混蛋). Don't confuse the two senses from context.
noun
bachelorunmarried man(colloquial) hoodlumruffiantough guy(dialectal) brave manfearless person
Measure word · 个
Examples
- ，光棍。Tā dōu sān shí wǔ suì le, hái shì gè guāng gùn.He's already 35 years old, and he's still a bachelor.
- 光棍，。Nà rén shì gè guāng gùn, nǐ kě bié rě tā.That guy is a hoodlum — better not provoke him.
- ，光棍。Tā yí gè rén gǎn zǒu yè lù, zhēn shì tiáo guāng gùn.He dares to walk alone at night — what a brave man.
Appears in
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.