三八

Chinese

		three	eight
trad. (三八)		三	八
simp. #(三八)		三	八

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): sānbā

  (Zhuyin): ㄙㄢ ㄅㄚ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): saam¹ baat³
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): sâm-pat
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): sam-pat
• Wu (Wugniu)
  • (Northern): ¹se-paq

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)
    • Hanyu Pinyin: sānbā
    • Zhuyin: ㄙㄢ ㄅㄚ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sanba
    • Wade–Giles: san¹-pa¹
    • Yale: sān-bā
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: sanba
    • Palladius: саньба (sanʹba)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sän⁵⁵ pä⁵⁵/
    • Homophones:

      [Show/Hide]
      edit edit 三八 三巴

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: saam¹ baat³
    • Yale: sāam baat
    • Cantonese Pinyin: saam¹ baat⁸
    • Guangdong Romanization: sam¹ bad³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /saːm⁵⁵ paːt̚³/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: sâm-pat
    • Hakka Romanization System: sam´ bad`
    • Hagfa Pinyim: sam¹ bad⁵
    • Sinological IPA: /sam²⁴ pat̚²/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou, General Taiwanese, Philippines)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sam-pat
    • Tâi-lô: sam-pat
    • Phofsit Daibuun: sampad
    • IPA (Quanzhou, Philippines): /sam³³ pat̚⁵/
    • IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /sam⁴⁴⁻³³ pat̚³²/
• Wu
  • (Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ¹se-paq
    • MiniDict: se^平 pah
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹se-paq
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /se⁵⁵ paʔ²¹/

Etymology 1

Originally Hokkien before spreading to other Sinitic languages. (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Adjective

三八

1. (euphemistic, humorous, originally of a woman) Comedically refers to women (originally) who speak and behave irrationally: nosy; gossipy; impetuous; rash; indecent; immodest; shameless; unreasonable; frivolous; unprincipled; foolish; stupid; silly

Noun

三八

1. (euphemistic, humorous, by extension) Comedically refers to any person who behaves irrationally or frivolously: spiteful or unpleasant woman; bitch; slut

Interjection

三八

1. (euphemistic, humorous, by extension) how frivolous!; how impetuous!; how irrational!; how unreasonable! (expletive)

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 傻 (“foolish”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		傻
Mandarin	Beijing	傻
	Taiwan	傻
	Tianjin	傻
	Xi'an	瓜
	Wuhan	苕, 哈, 嘎
	Chengdu	哈, 瓜, 寶
	Guilin	哈
	Yangzhou	呆, 木足, 瓜
	Hefei	呆, 傻
	Singapore	傻, 戇
Cantonese	Guangzhou	戇, 傻, 戇居
	Hong Kong	傻, 戇, 戇居
	Taishan	傻, 吽, 戇
	Dongguan	戇, 傻, 吽
	Yangjiang	傻, 戇
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	傻, 戇
	Singapore (Guangfu)	傻, 戇
Gan	Nanchang	蟬
Hakka	Meixian	傻, 戇
	Huizhou (Huicheng Bendihua)	戇, 傻
	Huizhou (Shuikou Bendihua)	傻
	Huizhou (Hengli Bendihua)	戇
	Huidong (Pingshan Bendihua)	戇
	Longmen (Pingling Bendihua)	戇鳩
	Boluo (Bendihua)	呆愕
	Heyuan (Bendihua)	戇
	Zijin (Guzhu Bendihua)	戇鬼
	Longchuan (Tuocheng Bendihua)	傻
	Longchuan (Sidu Bendihua)	慢, 嚒
	Heping (Linzhai Bendihua)	戇鳩
	Lianping (Zhongxin Bendihua)	戇
	Lianping (Longjie Bendihua)	傻
	Xinfeng (Matou Bendihua)	戇鳩
	Xinfeng (Daxi Bendihua)	戇鳩
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	戇
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	戇
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	戇
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	戇
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	戇
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	戇
Jin	Taiyuan	傻, 二不楞
Northern Min	Jian'ou	賴, 戇
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	戇
	Changle	戇
	Fuqing	戇
	Yongtai	戇
	Gutian	阿褒
	Fu'an	戇
	Ningde	戇, 庸
	Shouning	戇, 庸
	Zhouning	戇
	Fuding	庸
	Matsu	戇
Southern Min	Xiamen	戇
	Quanzhou	戇, 潲面 vulgar
	Zhangzhou	戇, 哚哥, 潲面 vulgar
	Zhao'an	戇
	Kaohsiung	戇
	Changhua (Lukang)	戇
	Taichung	戇
	Taichung (Wuqi)	呆
	Tainan	槌, 戇
	Hsinchu	戇
	Penghu (Magong)	戇
	Penang (Hokkien)	戇
	Singapore (Hokkien)	戇, 悇, 呆, 歁戇, 戇戇, 戇呆, 呆呆, 悇悇
	Manila (Hokkien)	戇, 戇戇, 洽, 洽潲 vulgar, 洽仔, 山猴, 三八, 三八潲 vulgar
	Chaozhou	㦙, 白仁, 戇
	Jieyang	㦙, 白仁, 戇
	Singapore (Teochew)	㦙, 戇, 悇
	Wenchang	戇, 傻
	Haikou	戇
	Qionghai	戇
	Singapore (Hainanese)	戇
Wu	Shanghai	戇, 壽, 糞
	Shanghai (Songjiang)	戇, 壽, 踱
	Suzhou	戇, 壽, 踱
	Wuxi	戇, 壽
	Tongxiang	踱
	Ningbo	呆, 戇
	Wenzhou	呆, 憨
Xiang	Changsha	寶, 醒
	Shuangfeng	哈

Derived terms

• 三八之
• 三八人
• 三八大獃
• 三八期
• 三八查某
• 三八氣／三八气
• 三八潲
• 三八猴
• 三八話／三八话
• 死三八
• 臭三八

 

Etymology 2

Proper noun

三八

1. (～節, ～婦女節) 8th of March, International Women's Day