酒鬼

jiǔguǐ

noun HSK 5 #5,032

Measure Word

一个酒鬼 gè

Meanings

1 drunkard; alcoholic
2 heavy drinker (informal, mildly derogatory)

Characters

alcohol; wine; liquor

ghost; devil; sly person

An alcohol ghost — someone possessed by drink.

Examples

他是个酒鬼，天天喝酒。

Tā shì gè jiǔguǐ, tiāntiān hē jiǔ.

He's a drunkard — he drinks every day.

别跟那个酒鬼说话。

Bié gēn nàge jiǔguǐ shuōhuà.

Don't talk to that drunk.

他以前是个酒鬼，现在戒酒了。

Tā yǐqián shì gè jiǔguǐ, xiànzài jiè jiǔ le.

He used to be a heavy drinker, but now he's quit.

Tips

usage

鬼 is commonly added after nouns to create informal/pejorative terms for people obsessed with something: 烟鬼 (yānguǐ, chain smoker), 懒鬼 (lǎnguǐ, lazybones), 小气鬼 (xiǎoqìguǐ, cheapskate).

culture

酒鬼 is also the name of a famous Chinese liquor brand (酒鬼酒) from Hunan province.

Stroke Order

酒 jiǔ

鬼 guǐ