顶嘴 (dǐng zuǐ) — to talk back, to answer back defiantly, to sass | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

顶嘴 (dǐngzuǐ) means talking back defiantly — responding with a sharp, rude tone to a parent, boss, or elder, not just disagreeing. The verb splits: 顶一次嘴, 别跟父母顶嘴.

verb

to talk backto answer back defiantlyto sass

Examples

顶嘴。
Xiǎo hái zi bú yào gēn fù mǔ dǐng zuǐ.
Children shouldn't talk back to their parents.
顶嘴。
Tā shuō de huà xiàng shì zài dǐng zuǐ.
What he said sounded like talking back.
。
Tā zuó tiān gēn lǎo bǎn dǐng le yí cì zuǐ.
He talked back to his boss once yesterday.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

顶 (push) + 嘴 (mouth) means pushing back with the mouth.

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 頂; 顶 is its simplified writing.

丁頁頂

Meaning part形符xíngfú

頁頁yèhead

Sound part声符shēngfú

丁

丁dīng頂dǐng

Same sound today

The traditional form 頂 pairs 頁, meaning head, with 丁, which supplies the sound; the simplified 顶 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.

口觜嘴

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

觜

觜zī嘴

Same sound today

嘴 pairs 口 (mouth) with 觜, which supplies its sound.

Appears in

Communication & Speech Conflict & Agreement

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.