土鳖

土鱉

tǔbiē

noun #94,615

Measure Word

一只土鳖 zhī

Meanings

1 ground beetle (Eupolyphaga sinensis), used in TCM
2 country bumpkin; unsophisticated person; locally trained professional who has never been abroad

Characters

earth / local / unsophisticated

soft-shell turtle

Examples

HSK 7-9

他是个土生土长的土鳖博士，从没出过国。

Tā shì gè tǔshēng-tǔzhǎng de tǔbiē bóshì, cóngméi chū guò guó.

He's a homegrown 'native' PhD who's never been abroad.

HSK 7-9

中药里的土鳖虫可以活血化瘀。

Zhōngyào lǐ de tǔbiē chóng kěyǐ huóxuè huàyū.

The ground beetle used in Chinese medicine promotes blood circulation and dissolves stasis.

Tips

usage

The 'country bumpkin' sense plays off 海归 ('sea turtle', i.e. someone returned from study abroad). The pun is between 龟 (turtle) for the well-traveled and 鳖 (soft-shell turtle) for the homebody. Use carefully - it can be self-deprecating ('I'm just a 土鳖') or insulting depending on tone.

memory

土 'earth' + 鳖 'soft-shell turtle' = a turtle that never leaves the dirt patch it was born in. Hence both the literal beetle and the figurative bumpkin.

Stroke Order

土 tǔ

鳖 biē