Name-calling with "zhege"

这个 (zhège) can be used by the speaker to emphasize how one regards something or someone. Using 这个 has a stronger effect than if one were to label something without using 这个 e.g "中国， 这个国家" has a stronger impact than merely saying "中国是一个国家."

Zhege 这个

Structure

Subj. + 这个 + [Category]

Examples

• 你 这个 坏蛋，就 没 做 过 一 件 好 事。Nǐ zhège huàidàn, jiù méi zuòguò yī jiàn hǎoshì.You bad person, you. You haven't done a single good thing.
• 他 这个 马屁精，又 去 拍 老板 的 马屁 了。Tā zhège mǎpìjīng, yòu qù pāi lǎobǎn de mǎ pìle.That scum. He's flattering the boss again.
• 上海 这个 城市，夏天 太 热，冬天 太 冷。Shànghǎi zhège chéngshì, xiàtiān tài rè, dōngtiān tài lěng.Shanghai, this city. Its summers are too hot, and its winters are too cold.
• 你 这个 人，怎么 能 做出 这样 的 事情？Nǐ zhège rén, zěnme néng zuò chū zhèyàng de shìqíng?What kind of person are you? How could you do this?
• 他 这个 工作，还是 很有 挑战 的。Tā zhège gōngzuò, háishì hěn yǒu tiǎozhàn de.His type of job still has a lot of challenges.

As 个 is a measure word it can be replaced by other measure words in this structure. Often it is replaced with 种 or 类. which actually shifts the meaning slightly from e.g. "this city" to "this type of city."

Zhe zhong and Zhe lei 这种/这类

Structure

Subj. + 这种 / 这类 + [Category]

Examples

• 猕猴桃 这种 水果，营养 价值 最 高。Míhóutáo zhè zhǒng shuǐguǒ, yíngyǎng jiàzhí zuìgāo.Kiwis and that kind of fruit have a high nutritional value.
• 钱 这种 东西，可以 有 可以 没有。Qián zhè zhǒng dōngxī, kěyǐ yǒu kěyǐ méiyǒu.Money and that kind of thing, you can have, but you don't need.
• 猴子 这种 动物，很 聪明 的。Hóuzi zhè zhǒng dòngwù, hěn cōngmíng de.Animals like the monkey are very intelligent.
• 游泳 这种 运动，需要 你 长期 坚持。Yóuyǒng zhè zhǒng yùndòng, xūyào nǐ chángqí jiānchí.Swimming is the kind of exercise that requires long-term persistence.
• 抽奖 这种 活动，都是 骗 人 的。Chōujiǎng zhè zhǒng huódòng, dōu shì piàn rén de.Activities like raffles fool everyone.

Sources and further reading

Books

• Exemplification of Common Sentence Patterns in Spoken Chinese 汉语口语常用句式例解 (pp. 200-201) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy

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