蠢货 (chǔn huò) — dunce; idiot | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A harsh insult for someone who acts very stupid — stronger than just calling someone 笨 or 傻. Use only for real contempt, never casually.

noun

dunceidiot

Measure word · 个

Examples

蠢货，。
Tā zhēn shì gè chǔn huò, lián zhè me jiǎn dān de wèn tí dōu bú huì.
He's such an idiot—he can't even answer such a simple question.
蠢货。
Bié xiàng gè chǔn huò yí yàng zhàn zài nà lǐ fā dāi.
Don't just stand there staring like a dunce.
蠢货，。
Zhè zhǒng rén jiù shì chǔn huò, yǒng yuǎn xué bú huì jiào xùn.
People like that are idiots; they never learn their lesson.

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.

货huògoods; thing

蠢 means stupid and 货 means goods or thing, so the word calls a person a stupid thing.

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.

春䖵蠢

Meaning part形符xíngfú

䖵䖵䖵insects

Sound part声符shēngfú

春

春chūn蠢chǔn

Same sound today

蠢 pairs 䖵 (insects) with 春 as a sound part.

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 貨; 货 is its simplified writing.

化貝貨

Meaning part形符xíngfú

貝貝bèishell, money

Sound part声符shēngfú

化

化huà貨huò

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 貨 pairs 化 (sound) with 貝 (shell, money) to write valuable goods; the simplified 货 is a shorthand.

Appears in

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