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酒鬼 (jiǔ guǐ) — drunkard (derogatory)

Definition

A colloquial, derogatory term for 'drunkard' — someone who habitually drinks to excess. The 鬼 suffix adds a strong negative, mocking tone, harsher than just calling someone 爱喝酒.

noun
drunkard (derogatory)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • ，酒鬼。
    Tā hē tài duō jiǔ, biàn chéng le yí gè jiǔ guǐ.
    He drank too much and became a drunkard.
  • 酒鬼。
    Nà ge jiǔ guǐ měi tiān dōu qù jiǔ bā hē jiǔ.
    That drunkard goes to the bar every day to drink.
  • 酒鬼，。
    Lín jū shuō tā shì jiǔ guǐ, yīn wèi tā zǒng shì hē zuì.
    The neighbor says he's a drunkard because he's always drunk.

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.

酒jiǔalcohol
鬼guǐghost

酒 names alcohol and 鬼 suggests a ghost-like person, forming a word for someone dominated by drink.

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
水水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
酉
酉yǒu酒jiǔ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

酒 pairs 酉, the original picture for this word, with 水 (water), added later to distinguish it.

Open 酒 →

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
Alcohol & Tobacco

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