三十八

sānshíbā
number #30,865

Meanings

  1. 1 thirty-eight, 38
  2. 2 silly/flighty woman; airhead - written 三八

Examples

HSK 1
Jīnnián wǒ sānshíbā suì.
I'm thirty-eight this year.
HSK 6
Sānyuè bā rì shì Guójì Fùnǚjié.
March 8th is International Women's Day.

Tips

culture
Two-character 三八 sānbā has a famous double life: it's the date of International Women's Day (三八节, March 8) yet in Taiwanese / southern slang it's an insult for a flighty woman. The full three-character 三十八 simply means '38' and avoids the slang reading.
register
三八式 sānbā shì also refers to the Japanese Type 38 Arisaka rifle, ubiquitous in Chinese WWII films - 三八大盖 is the standard nickname.

Stroke Order

sān
shí