赤膊

chìbó
verb #33,423

Meanings

  1. 1 to be bare to the waist
  2. 2 shirtless; topless (of a man)

Examples

HSK 2
Xiàtiān tā xǐhuan chìbó zài yuànzi lǐ gànhuó.
In summer, he likes to work shirtless in the yard.
HSK 5
Tā chìbóshàngzhèn, zhǔnbèi dǎjià.
He stripped to the waist, ready to fight.

Tips

culture
The phrase 赤膊上阵 ('strip to the waist and charge into battle') is a famous idiom - originally describing a warrior who threw off his armor in fury, now used figuratively for confronting something head-on without hesitation, or doing a job personally rather than delegating.
register
赤膊 specifically refers to men. The phenomenon of middle-aged Chinese men going shirtless in summer is jokingly called 'Beijing bikini' (北京比基尼) in English - though the practice is now discouraged in many cities.

Stroke Order

chì