Chinese word

撒泼

Pronunciation

Pinyinsā pō

Meaning

  • verbmake a scene

Example

他在街上撒泼，结果被警察带走了。tā zài jiē shàng sā pō jié guǒ bèi jǐng chá dài zǒu le

He made a scene in the street and was taken away by the police.

Illustration for 撒泼 (make a scene)

More examples

会议上他突然撒泼，大家都很尴尬。huì yì shàng tā tū rán sā pō dà jiā dōu hěn gān gà

He suddenly caused a scene at the meeting, and everyone felt awkward.

Core concept

An unruly outburst of words, gestures, or movement that disrupts a situation and draws attention.

Common phrases

  • 在公共场合撒泼zài gōng gòng chǎng hé sā pō

    cause a scene in public

  • 向别人撒泼xiàng bié rén sā pō

    throw a tantrum at others

Similar words

闹事nào shì: Cause a noisy disturbance that disrupts order, especially in a public place.
耍赖shuǎ lài: Refuse to accept responsibility or rules and act unreasonably to get one's way.
发脾气fā pí qì: Show anger through shouting or an unpleasant attitude.
吵闹chǎo nào: Make loud, disturbing noise that keeps a place from being quiet.

Definition in Chinese

用夸张或粗鲁的举动和言语制造混乱或引人注目，既可指身体上的闹腾也可指口头上的争吵。yòng kuā zhāng huò cū lǔ de jǔ dòng hé yán yǔ zhì zào hùn luàn huò yǐn rén zhù mù jì kě zhǐ shēn tǐ shàng de nào téng yě kě zhǐ kǒu tóu shàng de zhēng chǎo

Word origin

The compound combines 撒 (sā, "scatter") + 泼 (pō, "splash"), creating an image of behavior spilling outward and becoming hard to control.

Usage tips

  • For native English speakers, this verb is strongly disapproving: it portrays someone as rude, disruptive, and unreasonable rather than simply upset.

Other meanings

  • throw a tantrumverb
  • make a fussverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 撒泼耍赖sā pō shuǎ làiact shamelessly and throw a tantrumverb

Word lists with this word