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冒失鬼 (mào shi guǐ) — a reckless or impulsive person; a harum-scarum

Definition

A casual, mildly scolding label for someone who acts rashly without thinking. 鬼 here is a colloquial suffix, not literal.

noun
a reckless or impulsive persona harum-scarum
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 冒失鬼，！
    Nǐ zhè ge mào shi guǐ, yòu bǎ mén zhuàng huài le!
    You reckless person, you've broken the door again!
  • ，冒失鬼。
    Tā zuò shì tài chōng dòng, dà jiā dōu jiào tā mào shi guǐ.
    He acts too impulsively; everyone calls him a harum-scarum.
  • 冒失鬼，。
    Bié xiàng gè mào shi guǐ yí yàng, xiān xiǎng xiǎng zài huí dá.
    Don't act like a reckless person; think before you answer.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

冒失rash
冒màorash失shīmistake
联合Coordinate
鬼guǐperson

The rashness of 冒失 combines with 鬼, a person, to name a reckless one.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
目目mùeyes
Sound part声符shēngfú
冃
冃mào冒mào
Same sound today

冒 was built from 冃, a hat used for the sound, plus 目, eyes, as the meaning part.

Open 冒 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape is explained as a fallen person's footprint surrounded by drops of blood; another reading pairs 手 (hand) and 乙 to show something falling from a hand.

Open 失 →

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

鬼 originally drew a kneeling figure with an ugly face, perhaps a mask; the small lower right dot is a later added tail.

Open 鬼 →
Appears in
Personality & Traits

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