Chinese word

所谓

Pronunciation

Pinyinsuǒ wèi

Meaning

  • verbso-called

Example

所谓的朋友不一定可靠。suǒ wèi de péng yǒu bù yí dìng kě kào

So-called friends are not necessarily reliable.

Illustration for 所谓 (so-called)

More examples

所谓的成功不只是名利，还包括内心的满足。suǒ wèi de chéng gōng bù zhǐ shì míng lì hái bāo kuò nèi xīn de mǎn zú

So-called success is not only fame and fortune; it also includes inner satisfaction.

Core concept

A verbal label that shows how people commonly describe a person or thing.

Common phrases

  • 所谓的朋友suǒ wèi de péng yǒu

    so-called friend

  • 所谓的成功suǒ wèi de chéng gōng

    so-called success

  • 所谓的理由suǒ wèi de lǐ yóu

    so-called reason

Similar words

称为chēng wéi: Giving a person or thing a specific name or official title.
自称zì chēng: Naming oneself as a certain kind of person or claiming a particular status.
俗称sú chēng: Using the common everyday name by which people usually call a person or thing.
号称hào chēng: Presenting a person or thing as having a stated quality or status.

Definition in Chinese

表示他人或普遍说法对某人或某事的称呼或概括，既可作谓语也可修饰名词，常见结构为“所谓的＋名词”，侧重于引用或归纳的语气。biǎo shì tā rén huò pǔ biàn shuō fǎ duì mǒu rén huò mǒu shì de chēng hū huò gài kuò jì kě zuò wèi yǔ yě kě xiū shì míng cí cháng jiàn jié gòu wèi suǒ wèi de míng cí cè zhòng yú yǐn yòng huò guī nà de yǔ qì

Word origin

The word 所谓 (suǒwèi, "so-called") joins 所 (suǒ, "what is referred to") and 谓 (wèi, "to call or describe"), forming the idea of what people call something.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, this word can report a group label without saying that the speaker accepts or rejects it, unlike the stronger doubt often suggested by "so-called" in English.

Word lists with this word