呸

pēi

丕 + 口

Definitions

pēi pah!; bah!; pooh!; to spit (in contempt)

Etymology phono-semantic

mouth

Semantic: 口 Phonetic: 丕

About

呸 is a phono-semantic compound that pairs the mouth radical 口 on the left, signifying a vocalization or oral action, with the phonetic component 不 on the right. Although 不 primarily indicates the pronunciation, its inherent meaning "not" can subtly reinforce the negative nuance. As an interjection, 呸 mimics the sound of spitting and serves as a forceful expression of contempt, disgust, or rejection, often used to disagree strongly or dismiss an idea with disdain.

Example Sentences Hide

呸！这牛奶酸了。

Pēi! Zhè niúnǎi suān le.

Ugh! This milk has gone sour.

呸，我才不信你的鬼话。

Pēi, wǒ cái bù xìn nǐ de guǐhuà.

Pah, I don't believe your nonsense at all.

他呸了一口，显得很不屑。

Tā pēi le yī kǒu, xiǎn de hěn bùxiè.

He spat contemptuously, looking very disdainful.

听到这种提议，他直接呸了回去。

Tīng dào zhè zhǒng tíyì, tā zhíjiē pēi le huíqù.

Hearing such a suggestion, he directly spat back a "pah" in rejection.

你居然想骗我？呸，做梦去吧！

Nǐ jūrán xiǎng piàn wǒ? Pēi, zuòmèng qù ba!

You actually want to cheat me? Pah, go dream about it!

对这种无耻的谎言，他就回了一个字：呸。

Duì zhè zhǒng wúchǐ de huǎngyán, tā jiù huí le yīgè zì: pēi.

To this shameless lie, he only replied with one word: "Pah."

她轻蔑地呸了一声，转头就走。

Tā qīngmiè de pēi le yī shēng, zhuǎntóu jiù zǒu.

She gave a contemptuous "pah" and turned to leave.

面对诽谤，他没有争辩，只是冷冷地呸了一口唾沫。

Miàn duì fěibàng, tā méiyǒu zhēngbiàn, zhǐshì lěnglěng de pēi le yī kǒu tuòmò.

Faced with slander, he didn't argue, just coldly spat out a mouthful of saliva in disgust.

Related Characters

Component: 丕

Component: 口