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懒鬼 (lǎn guǐ) — lazybones, lazy person

Definition

Informal, mildly scolding term for a lazy person. Used when teasing or nagging someone to do work — much stronger and more colorful than just saying 懒.

noun
lazyboneslazy person
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 懒鬼，！
    Nǐ zhè ge lǎn guǐ, yòu shuì dào zhōng wǔ!
    You lazybones, sleeping until noon again!
  • 懒鬼，。
    Tā zhēn shì gè lǎn guǐ, shén me dōu bú zuò.
    He's such a lazybones, he does nothing.
  • 懒鬼，！
    Bié dāng lǎn guǐ le, kuài lái bāng máng!
    Don't be a lazybones, come help out!

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

懒lǎnlazy
鬼guǐperson

懒 (lazy) qualifies 鬼, a disparaging word for a person, to mean lazybones.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 懶; 懒 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
忄Written in full as心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
賴
賴lài懶lǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 懶 pairs 忄 (heart) with 賴, which gives the sound; the simplified 懒 is a later shorthand.

Open 懒 →

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

鬼 originally drew a kneeling figure with an ugly face, perhaps a mask; the small lower right dot is a later added tail.

Open 鬼 →
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