Definition
乖 (guāi) has multiple meanings. As 'well-behaved/obedient,' it is especially used for children and pets with a warm tone, more affectionate than 听话 (tīng huà) and unlike 规矩 (guī ju), which stresses following rules. It also means 'clever/shrewd' (of speech or eyes), and in formal contexts 'perverse/eccentric' — rarer in speech than 古怪 (gǔ guài).
adjective
(of a child or pet) well-behavedobedientclevershrewd (esp. of speech or eyes)perverseeccentric (formal)
Easily confused
- 乘chénglook-aliketo ride (a vehicle), to mount
- 怪guàisound-alike(adjective) strange, odd, weird
- 背bèilook-aliketo memorize, to recite from memory
- 拐guǎisound-aliketo turn (a corner)
Examples
- 乖，。Nǐ jiā de gǒugou hǎo guāi, jiào tā zuòxià tā jiù zuòxià.Your dog is so well-behaved — when you tell it to sit, it sits.
- 乖，。Tā zuǐ hěn guāi, gēn shéi dōu néng liáo de lái.She's very sweet-talking, she can chat with anyone.
- ，。Zhège rén xìnggé guāi lì, dàjiā dōu bù xǐhuan tā.This person has a perverse temperament, and nobody likes him.
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