Chinese word

吃醋

Pronunciation

Pinyinchī cù

Meaning

  • verbget jealous

Example

她一看到我跟别的男生聊天就会吃醋。tā yí kàn dào wǒ gēn bié de nán shēng liáo tiān jiù huì chī cù

She gets jealous whenever she sees me chatting with another guy.

Illustration for 吃醋 (get jealous)

More examples

看到她和别人说话很开心，他就会对她吃醋。kàn dào tā hé bié rén shuō huà hěn kāi xīn tā jiù huì duì tā chī cù

When he sees her happily talking with someone else, he gets jealous of her.

Core concept

Affection feels taken away when a close person turns toward someone else, leaving an inward sense of sourness.

Common phrases

  • 对她吃醋duì tā chī cù

    get jealous of her

  • 有点儿吃醋yóu diǎnr chī cù

    get a little jealous

  • 对男朋友吃醋duì nán péng yǒu chī cù

    get jealous of her boyfriend

Similar words

嫉妒jí dù: Feeling unhappy and envious about another person's success or possessions.
羡慕xiàn mù: Admiring another person's good qualities or possessions and wishing to have them.
眼红yǎn hóng: Feeling envious when seeing another person's gains or high position.

Definition in Chinese

对喜欢或亲近的人因其与他人亲密而感到不安或忌妒，既可指内心的不快也可用于打趣，主要见于口语表达。duì xǐ huān huò qīn jìn de rén yīn qí yǔ tā rén qīn mì ér gǎn dào bù ān huò jì dù jì kě zhǐ nèi xīn de bú kuài yě kě yòng yú dǎ qù zhǔ yào jiàn yú kóu yǔ biǎo dá

Word origin

The expression combines 吃 (chī, "eat") with 醋 (cù, "vinegar"), turning vinegar's sharp sour taste into an image for an unpleasant jealous reaction.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, the person who triggers the jealousy is commonly introduced with 对 (duì, "toward") or 为 (wèi, "for"), making the target clear.

Opposites

Word lists with this word