臭架子 (chòu jià zi) — (noun) insufferable arrogance; offensive preten… | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literally 'smelly airs' — a fixed phrase for someone's obnoxious, put-on arrogance, as in 摆臭架子 ('put on insufferable airs'). It's a behavior, not a feeling.

noun

insufferable arroganceoffensive pretentiousness

Examples

臭架子，。
Tā zǒng shì yí fù chòu jià zi, ràng rén hěn tǎo yàn.
He always puts on an arrogant demeanor, and it makes people dislike him.
臭架子，。
Nǐ bú yào bǎi chòu jià zi, dà jiā dōu bù xǐ huan nǐ zhè yàng.
Don't put on airs; nobody likes you like this.
臭架子。
Tā nà fù chòu jià zi zhēn jiào rén shòu bù liǎo.
That insufferable arrogance of his is truly unbearable.

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.

架子airs

架jiàframe子zǐsuffix

后缀Suffix

臭 “bad” + 架子 “airs” pictures a bad frame of pretension.

Characters in this word

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

犬自臭

犬犬quǎndog
自自zìnose

臭 combines 自 (nose) and 犬 (dog), referring to a dog's strong sense of smell; it originally meant 'to smell'.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

加木架

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùtree, wood

Sound part声符shēngfú

加

加jiā架jià

Same sound today

架 shows 木, meaning wood, with 加 giving the sound; it refers to a wooden prop.

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

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