小气

小氣
xiǎoqi
adjective HSK 7 #10,481

Meanings

  1. 1 stingy; petty; miserly

Characters

Literally 'small-spirited' — someone with a narrow, petty temperament.

Examples

Tā tài xiǎoqi le, cóng bù qǐngkè.
He's too stingy, he never treats anyone.
Bié nàme xiǎoqi, jiè wǒ yòng yíxià.
Don't be so stingy, let me borrow it for a moment.

Tips

usage
小气 covers both stinginess with money and pettiness in personality. The opposite is 大方 (dàfang, generous). In Chinese culture, being called 小气 is quite insulting — generosity is highly valued socially.

Stroke Order

xiǎo