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耍赖 (shuǎ lài) — to act shamelessly; to refuse to admit defeat or renege on a promise

Definition

A colloquial verb meaning to act shamelessly — backing out of a promise, refusing to admit losing, or pretending something didn't happen. Often used to scold or tease (你别耍赖!).

verb
to act shamelesslyto refuse to admit defeat or renege on a promise

Examples

  • 耍赖，。
    Tā shū le bǐ sài jiù shuǎ lài, zhēn méi yì si.
    He acts shamelessly whenever he loses a match; it's really no fun.
  • 耍赖，。
    Nǐ bié shuǎ lài, shuō hǎo de shì qing yào suàn shù.
    Don't renege — you need to keep your word on what we agreed.
  • 耍赖，。
    Zhè ge rén zǒng shì shuǎ lài, méi rén yuàn yì gēn tā hé zuò.
    This person is always shameless; no one wants to cooperate with him.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

耍shuǎplay
赖làishamelessness

耍 means to play or display, and 赖 means shamelessness, together meaning to act shamelessly.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 耍 →

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 賴; 赖 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèicowry
Sound part声符shēngfú
剌
剌là賴lài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 賴 uses 貝 (a cowry) for profit and 剌 for the sound; the simplified 赖 is a shorthand.

Open 赖 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Conflict & Agreement

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