Is being a xueba (学霸) a good or a bad thing?

[Angelina]

Xueba (学霸) is originally a good thing. It means you are the boss when it comes to studying. 

 

However, I have seen it being used to insult people. Does it mean that xueba can have both a positive and a negative meaning?

Or it means that it usually has a positive connotation, but people might decide to used it with sarcasm?

[TinoLN]

Well, as a native Chinese high school student, I can say that xueba is a positive word for most of the time. However, it is possible to make any good word become insulting one if you say it with insulting attitude. Actually in Chinese there are derivatives of xueba: xuezha（学渣）and xuebiao（学婊）. Xuezha is right the opposite meaning of xueba and is often used to describe those who are not good at study(but sometimes some xuebas will use "xuezha" to call themselves as a self-sacasm). While xuebiao is definitely a bad word. Biao(婊) means bitch. This word is newly invented on the Internet by high school students to describe those who always claim that they are losers in school but always get top scores. Indeed, a xuebiao is quite nasty and affected because they pretend to be a xuezha and appear to be aimless and lazy in front of others but work extremely hard when alone.

[Shelley]

Oh yes it can be used as an insult.

 

I remember at school the "clever kids" being mercilessly teased and even bullied. Bookworm, teachers pet, swot and worse were used to make their lives a misery. Combined with general teasing ie pushing in the playground, not being chosen to play on sports teams, and generally shunned.

 

The term 4 eyes was used for those unfortunate enough to have to wear glasses as well as being clever, insults about their appearance was also fair game.

 

I have after wondered why this was, I was one of the "clever" ones but I learnt early on to keep  it to myself, I still did well but didn't suffer this kind of bullying, I suppose it could have just been my attitude, I think I just ignored it all, stood my ground and was not prone to crying and so they eventually left me alone.

 

If I used a "long word" kids would say things like "ooh who ate a dictionary for breakfast?" things like this just seemed to be funny and I never felt upset. I started to dum things down until I was about 18 then I found in college this sort of thing was not so apparent because people were there because they wanted to learn.

 

I think this sort of thing happens all the time in school with kids but I am surprised if it happens with adults. Although I have seen reports of this sort of thing happening to adults in the workplace.

 

What can be done about it? No idea but I think some thing has to happen to change this attitude, I think it puts kids off learning especially boys who notoriously fall behind in school around the age this sort of thing starts.

 

 

 

 

[Angelina]

How to change your vote? I down voted the last answer by mistake.

 

So, if you use it with an insulting attitude, it can be an insult, right? Although it does not have the inherent negative meaning 学婊 has. 

 

It is so strange that this teasing is common among older Chinese people. I am trying to stay out of it.

 

It is different even among high-school students. I could hardly imagine that the concept of 学婊  could exist back home. It is so different. 

[Lu]

With the right (wrong) intentions, absolutely anything can be an insult.

No idea if such bullying is common among Chinese adults, but it's not entirely unknown outside of China either. It's probably not as common as in school, but people can be bullied in the workplace too.

[gato]

学霸 is about the same level as "teacher's pet", if it's used as an insult. It's just mildly insulting. Not as insulting as "geek" or "nerd".

[Demonic_Duck]

Oh yes it can be used as an insult.

 

I remember at school the "clever kids" being mercilessly teased and even bullied. Bookworm, teachers pet, swot and worse were used to make their lives a misery. Combined with general teasing ie pushing in the playground, not being chosen to play on sports teams, and generally shunned.

I'm not sure how relevant this is when discussing the term “学霸” specifically. In Chinese schools students very seldom have the attitude that being smart (even overly smart) is something to be ashamed of, or something to pick on other kids for. That's not to say bullying doesn't take place in Chinese schools, but it doesn't tend to be directed at the smart kids unless they also have some other characteristic that makes them stand out as a target. I'd also say bullying in general is less of a problem than in American or British schools.

 

@OP: do you have a specific context here? I wouldn't say the word itself has derogatory connotations, but as others have said, more or less any word can be used as an insult.

[Angelina]

It has been used many times. Last time it was something like this:

 

Person A: I give up

Person B: Oh, Person A xueba won't grant us the honor 

Then they started talking about their physical appearance.

Person A: I don't have the good looks Person B has. Person B: Oh, you mean my face is too big? 

[Angelina]

 

 

also have some other characteristic that makes them stand out as a target

 

Yeah, I guess the person bullied is not considered handsome. 

[Demonic_Duck]

I still don't really get what's going on in that conversation without more context. Person A and B are exchanging backhanded compliments?

[Shelley]

I didn't really understand the conversation either (glad i wasn't the only one).

[Angelina]

It was in Chinese 

[Angelina]

One said the other was a 学霸, then the other replied how  B is 长相上的哥, then B said 你是说我的脸比你大么and A didn't reply 

[ZhangJiang]

To call someone xueba when he actually is not is sarcasm, and is meant to embarrass him. It's how close friends chat. Maybe because they are the few people you can be a little rude without being offensive.

[Angelina]

Ok

[Michaelyus]

I'd say 学霸 is "aspirational" or "enviable" in a way teacher's pet or even geek isn't (in the mainstream at least). Another major difference is how it bears the distinctive connotation of "ruthlessness". As to whether it's 贬义词 or 褒义词, I'd say it is one of these impure 褒义词 laden with ambiguity, and usually used sarcastically. It is also something that is almost never used in self-reference: it has to bestowed.

However, above a certain age (perhaps the pre-Internet generation?), 学霸 holds a much more serious charge of arrogance and unscrupulous behaviour: this is is the main recorded dictionary definition.

From LanguageLog:
http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=10741

[Angelina]

Thanks. 

 

It is interesting to see how people have reported that it is used sarcastically more often than not. 

 

Although, the 'official' dictionary definition says one thing, I would trust the actual use of the expression more (expect when talking to older people). 

 

Thanks ZhangJiang for the cultural insight. I guess it is normal for close friends to be teasing each other. 

[MissOHara]

Most time positive.

[Angelina]

[英泰inte]

Whoa what a cool discussion! I have a question, is 学婊 only used against girls? or is it used against anyone?