Chinese word

调皮

Pronunciation

Pinyintiáo pí

Meaning

  • adjectivenaughty

Example

这个孩子很调皮。zhè ge hái zi hěn tiáo pí

This child is very naughty.

Illustration for 调皮 (naughty)

More examples

成年后他仍然有点调皮，喜欢开玩笑。chéng nián hòu tā réng rán yóu diǎn tiáo pí xǐ huān kāi wán xiào

After becoming an adult, he is still a little mischievous and likes to joke.

Core concept

Good-natured liveliness crosses the line into teasing, disobedience, or harmless troublemaking.

Common phrases

  • 很调皮hěn tiáo pí

    very naughty

  • 调皮的孩子们tiáo pí de hái zi men

    mischievous children

Similar words

淘气táo qì: Naughty and inclined to fool around or disobey, causing mild trouble for others.
顽皮wán pí: Energetic and playful, with a tendency to fool around and have trouble sitting still.
活泼huó pō: Lively, cheerful, and active in talking, playing, or moving around.

Definition in Chinese

形容爱闹、有点捣乱但通常无恶意的性格或行为，常用于评价儿童或宠物。xíng róng ài nào yóu diǎn dǎo luàn dàn tōng cháng wú è yì de xìng gé huò xíng wéi cháng yòng yú píng jià ér tóng huò chǒng wù

Word origin

调皮 (tiáopí, "naughty") combines 调 (tiáo, "tease or toy with") + 皮 (pí, "cheeky or unruly"), giving the idea of a child or pet whose playful behavior becomes mildly troublesome.

Usage tips

  • Tone matters: said with a smile, it can mark affectionate cheekiness, but a firm adult voice can make it a mild complaint about behavior.

Other meanings

  • mischievousadjective

Opposites

Related words

  • 调皮鬼tiáo pí guǐmischief-makernoun
  • 调皮蛋tiáo pí dànmischievous kidnoun

Word lists with this word