Chinese word

酒鬼

Pronunciation

Pinyinjiǔ guǐ

Meaning

  • noundrunkard

Example

他是个酒鬼。tā shì gè jiú guǐ

He is a drunkard.

Illustration for 酒鬼 (drunkard)

More examples

他喝多了以后像酒鬼一样说话。tā hē duō le yǐ hòu xiàng jiú guǐ yí yàng shuō huà

After he drinks too much, he talks like a drunkard.

Core concept

Someone defined by a repeated cycle of drinking heavily and becoming drunk.

Common phrases

  • 变成酒鬼biàn chéng jiú guǐ

    become a drunkard

  • 像酒鬼一样xiàng jiú guǐ yí yàng

    like a drunkard

Similar words

醉鬼zuì guǐ: A casual term for a person who gets drunk easily and is often drunk.
酗酒者xù jiǔ zhě: A person whose excessive drinking harms health or daily life.
酒徒jiǔ tú: A person who drinks frequently and is deeply absorbed in drinking.
醉汉zuì hàn: A somewhat scornful term for a man who is drunk.

Definition in Chinese

喜欢喝酒、常常喝醉的人。xǐ huān hē jiǔ cháng cháng hē zuì de rén

Word origin

The compound 酒鬼 (jiǔguǐ, "drunkard") joins 酒 (jiǔ, "alcohol") with 鬼 (guǐ, "ghost"), using ghost imagery for a person who seems unable to escape drinking.

Usage tips

  • 酒鬼 (jiǔguǐ, "drunkard") is often used casually about a friend or oneself, but its sharp tone can make it unsuitable when speaking respectfully about another person's drinking.

Other meanings

  • alcoholicnoun

Opposites

  • 戒酒者jiè jiǔ zhěabstainernoun

Related words

  • 老酒鬼lǎo jiú guǐold drunkardnoun

Word lists with this word