土鳖 (tǔbiē): ground beetle (Eupolyphaga sine…

Measure Word

一只土鳖 zhī

Meanings

1 ground beetle (Eupolyphaga sinensis), used in TCM
2 (coll., derogatory) country bumpkin; unsophisticated person; locally trained pro who has never been abroad (opposite of 海归 hǎiguī)

Characters

土

tǔ

earth / local / unsophisticated

鳖

biē

soft-shell turtle

Examples

他是个土生土长的土鳖博士，从没出过国。

Tā shì gè tǔshēng-tǔzhǎng de tǔbiē bóshì, cóng méi chū guò guó.

He's a homegrown 'native' PhD who's never been abroad.

中药里的土鳖虫可以活血化瘀。

Zhōngyào lǐ de tǔbiēchóng kěyǐ huóxuè-huàyū.

The ground beetle used in Chinese medicine promotes blood circulation and dissolves stasis.

Tips

usage

The 'country bumpkin' sense plays off 海归 (hǎiguī, 'sea turtle', i.e. someone returned from study abroad). The pun is between 龟 (guī, turtle) for the well-traveled and 鳖 (biē, soft-shell turtle) for the homebody. Use carefully — it can be self-deprecating ('I'm just a 土鳖') or insulting depending on tone.

memory

土 'earth' + 鳖 'soft-shell turtle' = a turtle that never leaves the dirt patch it was born in. Hence both the literal beetle and the figurative bumpkin.