Chinese word

顽皮

Pronunciation

Pinyinwán pí

Meaning

  • adjectivenaughty

Example

顽皮的男孩总是跑来跑去。wán pí de nán hái zǒng shì pǎo lái pǎo qù

The naughty boy is always running around.

Illustration for 顽皮 (naughty)

More examples

他小时候很顽皮，常把书弄皱。tā xiǎo shí hòu hěn wán pí cháng bǎ shū nòng zhòu

When he was young, he was very naughty and often crumpled books.

Core concept

An energetic child or animal whose playful behavior keeps crossing small boundaries.

Common phrases

  • 顽皮的孩子wán pí de hái zi

    naughty child

  • 很顽皮hěn wán pí

    very naughty

Similar words

淘气táo qì: Mischievous in a fun-loving way and sometimes making trouble for others.
调皮tiáo pí: Lightheartedly naughty and eager to draw attention through joking or small pranks.
活泼huó pō: Full of youthful energy, with lively movements and expressions that make a setting more cheerful.

Definition in Chinese

顽皮 指表现出活泼好动且带有捣蛋倾向的个性或行为，经常使人又爱又烦。wán pí zhǐ biǎo xiàn chū huó pō hào dòng qiě dài yǒu dǎo dàn qīng xiàng de gè xìng huò xíng wéi jīng cháng shǐ rén yòu ài yòu fán

Word origin

顽皮 (wánpí, "naughty") combines 顽 (wán, "stubborn") with 皮 (pí, "skin"), whose extended colloquial sense suggests unruly play, so the compound describes liveliness that is hard to manage.

Usage tips

  • English speakers often reserve naughty for children, but this adjective is also natural for animals, especially when their lively behavior is a little difficult to manage.

Other meanings

  • mischievousadjective
  • cheekyadjective

Opposites

Related words

  • 顽皮鬼wán pí guǐmischievous kidnoun

Word lists with this word