戏精

戲精

xìjīng

noun

Meanings

1 drama queen
2 attention-seeking performer
3 melodramatic person

Characters

spirit / expert / essence

Examples

我同事就是个戏精。

Wǒ tóngshì jiùshì ge xìjīng.

My coworker is a total drama queen.

戏精本精上线了。

Xìjīng běn jīng shàngxiàn le.

The queen of drama herself just showed up (online slang).

别理这个戏精，她就喜欢博关注。

Bié lǐ zhè ge xìjīng, tā jiù xǐhuan bó guānzhù.

Ignore this drama queen — she just wants attention.

Tips

culture

Flipped from a genuine compliment ('theater genius / master actor') into a 2017-era internet insult for people who over-dramatize their lives for attention. CC-CEDICT explicitly dates it as a 'neologism c. 2017'. Spiked thanks to 明星 fandom arguments on Weibo.

usage

The 本精上线 ('the spirit itself has logged on') meme format is also widely used: 单身戏精本精 = the embodiment of single-person drama. Pejorative in serious contexts, playful among friends.

Stroke Order

戏 xì

精 jīng