八卦

bā guà

CL 个 gè 种 zhǒng

HSK 3.0 Level 7 Noun Common

Definitions

1. the eight divinatory trigrams of the Book of Changes 易經|易经[yì jīng]
2. gossip
3. gossipy

Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item

• 秘密 mì mì 秘密 mì mì secret; private; confidential; clandestine Secret, the opposite of openly shared gossip.: secret; private; confidential; clandestine

Related words

2 items

• 谣言 yáo yán 谣言 yáo yán rumor Rumor, often spread through gossip.: rumor
• 易经 yì jīng 易经 yì jīng The Book of Changes (\I Ching\) The Book of Changes, where the original eight trigrams come from.: The Book of Changes (\I Ching\)

Synonyms

1 item

• 闲聊 xián liáo 闲聊 xián liáo to chat When referring to casual chatting or gossip, not the trigrams.: to chat

Usage notes

Common mistakes

When meaning 'gossip', 八卦 is often used as a noun (聊八卦) or adjective (很八卦). Do not use it as a verb like 'to gossip'.

Formality

In its trigram sense, 八卦 is formal and literary. In its gossip sense, it is colloquial and informal.

Words Containing 八卦

• 八卦山 八卦山 bā guà shān: Bagua Mountain, Taiwan
• 八卦拳 八卦拳 bā guà quán: baguazhang (a form of Chinese boxing)
• 八卦掌 八卦掌 bā guà zhǎng: baguazhang (a form of Chinese boxing)
• 八卦阵 八卦阵 bā guà zhèn: eight-trigram battle array
• 炼丹八卦炉 炼丹八卦炉 liàn dān bā guà lú: eight trigrams furnace to cook pills of immortality

Child Words of 八卦

• 八 八 bā: eight; 8
• 卦 卦 guà: divinatory diagram