The meaning of 三八

[sukitc]

Hi, does the word 三八 mean stupid? If yes, can anyone please tell me the origin of this term? Thank you.

[peekay]

The slang 三八 (3 comes from International Women's day, which is celebrated on March 8.

Accordingly, 三八 can mean girly or girlish, and can be applied to both guys and girls.

However, the exact usage / meaning of 三八 differs greatly by context.

In a derogatory context, 三八 could mean bitchy, slutty, foolish, etc.

In other contexts, 三八 could simply mean someone who's funny, always joking, not serious, etc. (especially for girls).

A more common slang for stupid is perhaps 二百五 (250). 250 is half a jīn (斤= 500 grams), so 二百五 means "half brain".

[skylee]

The search function of this website is nothing to rave about, but sometimes it is useful. These threads, with the info you look for, come up in a simple search for 三八 ->

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/808-888

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/444-%e6%b1%82%e5%8a%a9-chinese-slang-and-colloquial-language

http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/1398-expletives-swear-words-thread-worried

[bhchao]

does the word 三八 mean stupid?

Not really. Pathetic moron would be more accurate in a derogatory context. It's used a lot in Taiwan.

[Ole]

There is a nice YouTube-video from sexybeijing about the meaning of 三八:

I hope you like it,

Ole

[hidden12345]

三八 is sort of like 泼妇，a bitch who's always nagging and incessant.