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斗气 (dòu qì) — to hold a grudge; to feud (over trivial matters); to be sulky

Definition

斗气 (dòu qì) means to sulk or stay angry at someone over a trivial matter — a petty, childish kind of feud rather than a serious one. Often used for short, mutual standoffs where both sides refuse to speak.

verb
to hold a grudgeto feud (over trivial matters)to be sulky

Examples

  • 斗气，。
    Tā men liǎ yòu zài dòu qì le, shuí yě bù lǐ shuí.
    Those two are feuding again, ignoring each other.
  • ？。
    Nǐ gēn wǒ dòu shén me qì? yǒu huà hǎo hǎo shuō.
    What are you sulking about with me? Let's talk it out.
  • 。
    Tā men wèi le yì diǎn xiǎo shì dòu le yì tiān qì.
    They held a grudge all day over a trivial matter.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

斗dòufight
气qìanger

The fighting sense of 斗 and the anger sense of 气 describe people quarrelling or sulking.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 斗 originally showed a ladle-shaped dipper or cup used to measure grain, held in a hand.

Open 斗 →

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
Conflict & AgreementEmotions & Feelings

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