怪里怪气

怪裡怪氣

guàiliguàiqì

idiom #34,952

Meanings

1 eccentric
2 weird
3 odd-looking
4 peculiar in manner or speech

Characters

(infix particle)

Examples

他说话怪里怪气的，让人不舒服。

Tā shuōhuà guàiliguàiqì de, ràng rén bù shūfu.

He talks in such a weird tone — it makes people uncomfortable.

这个新同事打扮得怪里怪气。

Zhège xīn tóngshì dǎbàn de guàiliguàiqì.

The new colleague dresses really oddly.

Tips

grammar

ABAC reduplication template: 怪X怪Y, intensifying 怪 (strange). The middle 里 is unstressed and pronounced toneless (li). Slightly negative — implies the speaker finds the manner off-putting, not just unusual.

Stroke Order

怪 guài

里 lǐ

气 qì