洁癖 (jié pǐ) — obsession with cleanliness; being a neat freak

Definition

A strong, often irrational obsession with cleanliness. Use it to describe a person who cleans compulsively — 'neat freak' in English.

noun

obsession with cleanlinessbeing a neat freak

洁癖，。
Tā yǒu jié pǐ, měi tiān dōu yào cā sān biàn dì bǎn.
He has a cleanliness obsession and has to mop the floor three times a day.
洁癖。
Tā de jié pǐ yán zhòng dào lián bié rén pèng guò de bēi zi dōu yào xiāo dú.
Her cleanliness obsession is so severe that she even sterilizes cups that others have touched.
，洁癖。
Bié jiè yì, tā zhǐ shì yǒu diǎn jié pǐ ér yǐ.
Don't mind him, he's just a bit of a neat freak.

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.

洁jiécleanliness

癖pǐobsession

洁 (cleanliness) and 癖 (obsession) combine to mean an obsession with cleanliness.

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 潔; 洁 is its simplified writing.

氵絜潔

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

絜

絜jié潔jié

Same sound today

The traditional form 潔 pairs 氵, a water part, with 絜, which gives the sound; the simplified 洁 is a later abbreviation.

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

疒辟癖

Meaning part形符xíngfú

疒Written in full as病bìng

Sound part声符shēngfú

辟

Same sound today

癖 is made of 疒 (written in full as 病, an illness form) and 辟, which gives the sound.

Appears in