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脓包 (nóng bāo) — (medicine) pustule; (figurative, colloquial) worthless person, good-for-nothing

Definition

Literally a bag of pus: the medical term for a pustule (an inflamed, pus-filled bump on the skin), and slang for a useless, good-for-nothing person. Highly colloquial and insulting in the figurative sense.

noun
(medicine) pustule(figurative, colloquial) worthless persongood-for-nothing
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 脓包。
    Yī shēng shuō tā liǎn shàng de nóng bāo xū yào qiē kāi yǐn liú.
    The doctor said the pustule on his face needs to be lanced and drained.
  • 脓包，。
    Dà jiā dōu jué de tā shì gè nóng bāo, shén me shì dōu zuò bù hǎo.
    Everyone thinks he's a good-for-nothing who can't do anything right.
  • 脓包？
    Nǐ zhè zhǒng nóng bāo hái gǎn lái yìng pìn?
    A loser like you dares to come for an interview?

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.

脓nóngpus
包bāobag

The 'pus' and 'bag' parts picture a sack of pus.

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 膿; 脓 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
肉肉ròumeat
Sound part声符shēngfú
農
農nóng膿nóng
Same sound today

The traditional form 膿 pairs 肉 (meat) with 農 (nóng) as a sound part. This note describes 膿, not 脓.

Open 脓 →

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

The shape of 包 pictures a fetus in a womb, or a baby wrapped in cloth.

Open 包 →
Appears in
Illness & SymptomsPersonality & Traits

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