wángba

王八

Word · Noun

turtle; cuckold; pimp (archaic)

Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma

Meanings

3 senses · 6 examples
1.

noun

turtle; tortoise (popular name for turtle or soft-shelled turtle)

informal

Informal and somewhat colloquial term for turtles, often used in northern China.

Hé河
lǐ里
yǒu有
yī一
zhī只
dà大
wáng王
ba八
 。

There is a big turtle in the river.

Bié别
mō摸
nà那
zhī只
wáng王
ba八
 ，
tā它
huì会
yǎo咬
rén人
 。

Don't touch that turtle; it will bite.

2.

noun

cuckold; derogatory term for a man whose wife is unfaithful

derogatory

Highly offensive insult implying the man's wife is cheating on him. Derived from folklore associating the turtle/turtle egg (王八蛋) with illegitimacy.

Tā他
bèi被
rén人
mà骂
zuò作
wáng王
ba八
 ，
qì气
de得
hún浑
shēn身
fā发
dǒu抖
 。

He was called a cuckold by someone and shook with anger.

Nǐ你
cái才
shì是
wáng王
ba八
ne呢
 ！
Bié别
hú胡
shuō说
bā八
dào道
 。

You're the cuckold! Don't talk nonsense.

3.

noun

pimp; brothel keeper (archaic)

archaic

Historical usage from old Chinese society referring to the male operator of a brothel. Now largely obsolete except in historical contexts.

Jiù旧
shè社
huì会
de的
wáng王
ba八
cháng常
cháng常
bō剥
xuē削
jì妓
nǚ女
 。

Brothel keepers in the old society often exploited prostitutes.

Tā他
yé爷
ye爷
yǐ以
qián前
shì是
kāi开
jì妓
yuàn院
de的
wáng王
ba八
 。

His grandfather used to be a brothel keeper.