赤膊

chìbó
verb #33,423

Meanings

  1. 1 to be bare to the waist
  2. 2 shirtless; topless (of a man)

Examples

Xiàtiān tā xǐhuan chìbó zài yuànzi lǐ gànhuó.
In summer, he likes to work shirtless in the yard.
Tā chìbó shàngzhèn, zhǔnbèi dǎjià.
He stripped to the waist, ready to fight.

Tips

culture
The phrase 赤膊上阵 (chìbó shàngzhèn, 'strip to the waist and charge into battle') is a famous idiom — originally describing a warrior who threw off his armor in fury, now used figuratively for confronting something head-on without hesitation, or doing a job personally rather than delegating.
register
赤膊 specifically refers to men. The phenomenon of middle-aged Chinese men going shirtless in summer is jokingly called 'Beijing bikini' (北京比基尼) in English — though the practice is now discouraged in many cities.

Stroke Order

chì