屁话 (pì huà) — nonsense, bullshit (vulgar, colloquial) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Strong, vulgar slang for 'bullshit / total nonsense' — much coarser than neutral words like 胡说 or 废话. Don't use in formal or polite contexts.

noun

nonsensebullshit (vulgar, colloquial)

Examples

，屁话。
Bié tīng tā de, tā shuō de dōu shì pì huà.
Don't listen to him, everything he says is nonsense.
屁话？
Zhè zhǒng pì huà nǐ yě xìn?
You believe this kind of nonsense?
屁话，。
Tā zhěng tiān shuō pì huà, méi rén yuàn yì gēn tā liáo tiān.
He talks nonsense all day, no one wants to chat with him.

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.

屁 (fart) and 话 (words) combine to mean empty talk, i.e. nonsense.

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.

尸比屁

Meaning part形符xíngfú

尸尸shībody

Sound part声符shēngfú

比

比bǐ屁pì

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

屁 pairs 尸, a body-related mark, with 比, which gives its sound.

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 話; 话 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

言言yánword

Sound part声符shēngfú

𠯑

𠯑𠯑話huà

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

In the traditional form 話, 言 relates to words and 𠯑 gives the sound; the simplified 话 is a shorthand, so its right side is not that sound part.

Appears in

Communication & Speech

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