白痴 (bái chī) — idiot (a stupid person); idiocy, stupidity

Definition

Strong insult meaning 'idiot / idiotic', much harsher than 笨 (dull) or 傻 (silly) — typically used to condemn behavior or intelligence, not said lightly about people you respect.

noun
idiot (a stupid person)idiocystupidity
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 白痴,。
    Tā zhēn shì gè bái chī, lián zhè me jiǎn dān de wèn tí dōu bù dǒng.
    He's really an idiot, he can't even understand such a simple question.
  • 白痴。
    Nǐ zhè zhǒng xiǎng fǎ jiǎn zhí shì bái chī xíng wéi.
    This kind of thinking is simply idiotic behavior.
  • 白痴,。
    Tā zuò shì xiàng gè bái chī, zǒng shì fàn tóng yàng de cuò wù.
    He does things like an idiot, always making the same mistakes.

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.

白báiblank
痴chīfoolish

白 suggests blankness, and 痴 supplies the sense of foolishness.

Characters in this word

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

白 is thought to picture either an acorn or a human head.

Open 白 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 痴 →

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