Chinese word

耳光

Pronunciation

Pinyiněr guāng

Meaning

  • nounslap

Example

她突然给了他一记耳光。tā tū rán gěi le tā yí jì ěr guāng

She suddenly gave him a slap.

Illustration for 耳光 (slap)

More examples

媒体的报道对那位官员来说是沉重的一记耳光，引发了广泛关注。méi tǐ de bào dào duì nà wèi guān yuán lái shuō shì chén zhòng de yí jì ěr guāng yǐn fā le guǎng fàn guān zhù

The media's report was a heavy slap in the face for the official, drawing widespread attention.

Core concept

A sudden open-handed strike to the face that can also represent humiliation or a forceful rebuke.

Common phrases

  • 扇了他一记耳光shàn le tā yí jì ěr guāng

    gave him a slap

  • 挨了一记耳光āi le yí jì ěr guāng

    received a slap

Similar words

巴掌bā zhǎng: One strike with the palm against someone's face or body.

Definition in Chinese

指用手掌或掌边拍打别人面部的一下，常见口语搭配有“给（某人）一记耳光”“被打了一耳光”，既可指真实的平手打，也可比喻受辱或强烈责备。zhǐ yòng shóu zhǎng huò zhǎng biān pāi dǎ bié rén miàn bù de yí xià cháng jiàn kóu yǔ dā pèi yǒu gěi mǒu rén yí jì ěr guāng bèi dǎ le yì ěr guāng jì kě zhǐ zhēn shí de píng shǒu dǎ yě kě bǐ yù shòu rǔ huò qiáng liè zé bèi

Word origin

In 耳 (ěr, "ear") + 光 (guāng, "light"), the characters form a lexicalized colloquial compound whose meaning is the blow itself, not the separate meanings of the two characters.

Usage tips

  • Chinese commonly frames this noun with an event measure word, while English normally uses a simple count noun.

Opposites

Word lists with this word