Chinese word

笨

Pronunciation

Pinyinbèn

Meaning

  • adjectivestupid

Example

别说你笨，你学得很快。bié shuō nǐ bèn nǐ xué de hěn kuài

Don't say you're stupid; you learn very quickly.

Illustration for 笨 (stupid)

More examples

他做事虽然有点笨，但态度很认真。tā zuò shì suī rán yóu diǎn bèn dàn tài dù hěn rèn zhēn

Although he is somewhat clumsy at doing things, he takes his work very seriously.

Core concept

A rough lack of fluency in thought or action, shown by delayed reactions, awkward handling, or avoidable mistakes.

Common phrases

  • 做事很笨zuò shì hěn bèn

    clumsy at tasks

  • 笨得要命bèn de yào mìng

    extremely stupid

  • 反应很笨fǎn yìng hěn bèn

    slow to respond

Similar words

笨拙bèn zhuō: Awkward and unskilled in movement or in handling things, with actions that lack smooth control.
迟钝chí dùn: Slow to react or understand, making it hard to respond quickly to what is happening.
糊涂hú tú: Confused and forgetful, often causing mistakes in thinking or everyday tasks.

Definition in Chinese

指动作、反应或思维迟缓、不灵活，做事容易出错或显得笨拙的人或状态。zhǐ dòng zuò fǎn yìng huò sī wéi chí huǎn bù líng huó zuò shì róng yì chū cuò huò xiǎn de bèn zhuō de rén huò zhuàng tài

Word origin

笨 (bèn, "stupid") is formed from 竹 (zhú, "bamboo") and 本 (běn, "root"), and its earlier connection with coarse, heavy bamboo supports its later use for a lack of ease or skill.

Usage tips

  • The word can describe a way of doing something as well as a person, so it does not always judge someone's intelligence; the surrounding action or situation supplies the focus.

Other meanings

  • dulladjective
  • clumsyadjective

Opposites

Related words

  • 笨手笨脚bèn shǒu bèn jiǎoclumsy and awkwardidiom
  • 笨拙bèn zhuōclumsyadjective
  • 笨蛋bèn dànfoolnoun

Word lists with this word