Kilo Lingo

(bái chī) - idiot, fool in Mandarin

báichī

Traditional: 白痴

Line drawing of 白痴
Coloured illustration of 白痴
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Translation

idiot, fool

Word origin

A two-character word: 白 'white, blank, in vain' (a pictograph) plus 痴 'foolish, idiotic' (the sickness radical 疒 with 知 zhī as phonetic). Together 白痴 means an idiot or imbecile.

Origin
compound
Root
白 (white, blank) + 痴 (疒 sickness + 知 zhī phonetic)

Stroke order

Stroke order for 白

Stroke order for 痴

Examples

Do not take me for an idiot.

He pretended to be an idiot.

This kind of behaviour is idiotic.

Don't treat me like an idiot.

I really am an idiot.

白痴 (bái chī) means idiot or fool.

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This word is part of lesson 20.