Chinese word

娇气

Pronunciation

Pinyinjiāo qì

Meaning

  • adjectivepampered

Example

孩子太娇气，妈妈什么都替他做。hái zi tài jiāo qì mā mā shén me dōu tì tā zuò

The child is too pampered, so his mother does everything for him.

Illustration for 娇气 (pampered)

More examples

新员工太娇气，难以适应快节奏的工作。xīn yuán gōng tài jiāo qì nán yǐ shì yìng kuài jié zòu de gōng zuò

The new employee is too pampered and has trouble adapting to the fast-paced work.

Core concept

A fragile, dependent manner that turns discomfort into a need for special care.

Common phrases

  • 显得娇气xiǎn de jiāo qì

    appear spoiled

  • 有点儿娇气yóu diǎnr jiāo qì

    somewhat spoiled

Similar words

敏感mín gǎn: Quick to notice and be affected by outside changes or other people's words.
脆弱cuì ruò: Lacking strength or resistance, so easily damaged, broken, or hurt.
软弱ruǎn ruò: Lacking firmness of will or attitude and easily giving way under pressure.
娇弱jiāo ruò: Physically or emotionally delicate, with a slender and helpless appearance.

Definition in Chinese

性格上容易示弱，情绪或身体不适时常表现出需要照顾的样子。xìng gé shàng róng yì shì ruò qíng xù huò shēn tǐ bú shì shí cháng biǎo xiàn chū xū yào zhào gù de yàng zi

Word origin

娇 (jiāo, "tender or spoiled") describes softness that needs protection, and 气 (qì, "disposition") extends that quality to a person's manner.

Usage tips

  • The word often carries a mild reproach, so it fits a familiar comment about a child but can sound insulting when directed at someone outside a close relationship.

Other meanings

  • delicateadjective

Opposites

  • 刚强gāng qiángstrong-willedadjective
  • 独立dú lìself-reliantadjective

Related words

  • 娇气包jiāo qì bāospoiled personnoun
  • 娇气鬼jiāo qì guǐweaklingnoun

Word lists with this word