蠢材 (chǔn cái) — idiot, fool

Definition

noun
idiotfool
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 蠢材,。
    Tā zhēn shì gè chǔn cái, lián zhè me jiǎn dān de wèn tí dōu bú huì.
    He's really an idiot — he can't even answer such a simple question.
  • 蠢材。
    Bié xiàng gè chǔn cái yí yàng zhàn zài nà lǐ fā dāi.
    Don't stand there like an idiot staring blankly.
  • 蠢材,。
    Dà jiā dōu shuō tā shì chǔn cái, yīn wèi tā zǒng shì zuò cuò shì.
    Everyone says he's an idiot because he always does things wrong.

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.

蠢chǔnfoolish
材cáimaterial

蠢 means foolish and 材 means material; calling someone foolish material gives the sense of an idiot.

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
䖵䖵䖵insects
Sound part声符shēngfú
春
春chūn蠢chǔn
Same sound today

蠢 pairs 䖵 (insects) with 春 as a sound part.

Open 蠢 →

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
Sound part声符shēngfú
才
才cái材cái
Same sound today

材 combines 木, wood, with 才, cái, as its sound part.

Open 材 →

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