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小气

小氣
xiǎoqi
adjective HSK 6 #10,481

Meanings

  1. 1 stingy; petty; miserly

Characters

小
xiǎo
small; narrow
气
qi
spirit; temperament
Literally 'small-spirited' - someone with a narrow, petty temperament.

Examples

HSK 3
别那么小气，借我用一下。
Bié nàme xiǎoqi, jiè wǒ yòng yíxià.
Don't be so stingy, let me borrow it for a moment.
HSK 5
他太小气了，从不请客。
Tā tài xiǎoqi le, cóngbù qǐngkè.
He's too stingy, he never treats anyone.

Tips

usage
小气 covers both stinginess with money and pettiness in personality. The opposite is 大方 (dàfang, generous). In Chinese culture, being called 小气 is quite insulting - generosity is highly valued socially.

Stroke Order

小 xiǎo
气 qì