Sānbā or 38: Chinese Slang for Stupid

Did you know that thirty-eight has a significant meaning in Chinese culture? Like 250, 38 is more than just a number.

Sānbā’s Meaning

38 or三八(Sānbā) is a derogatory term in the Hokkien language for a woman who behaves frivolously, acts recklessly, is crazy, is not dignified enough, and gossips everywhere.

Today, 三八(Sānbā) is currently slang still used in Taiwan to describe stupid women.

Sānbā’s Possible Origin

Some claim that Sānbā originated from one of the professions in Gezi Opera. Gezi jokingly calls Caidan 三八 (Sānbā) and ugly men Sān huā.

Unlike women, calling men “Sanba brothers” in southern Fujian means that the other party is out of touch or too polite. It is generally used for good friends.

In the early 1840s, Hong Kong was opened to international trade by China. However, foreigners were only permitted to enter Guangzhou on the 8th, 18th, and 28th of every month. Outside of these dates, they had to reside in specific areas outside the city. Additionally, transactions were limited to specific Chinese merchants, which meant that locals who rarely encountered foreigners referred to their arrival as “seeing March 8”. This was because the pronunciation of “March 8” sounds like the Chinese phrase “seeing 三八 (Sānbā).” Seeing Sānbā later transformed into seeing an idiot.

In Hong Kong, because “March 8” is similar to the local name for the annoying girl “Ba Po,” Hong Kong people often regard the two as synonymous. This is very common in Chinese subtitles of Hong Kong films. In the dialogue, the character talks about “eighth mother-in-law,” but in the subtitles, it becomes 三八 (Sānbā), but the meanings of these two words are different.

While studying Chinese, have you encountered other numbers with hidden meanings?

If you’re curious to read about numbers that are more than what they seem, check out 250.