Definition
土气 has two main uses: as a stative verb it describes something as 'countrified, unfashionable' — a derogatory judgment about style or taste — and as a noun it refers to 'earth energy' or emanations from the soil in traditional Chinese thought (e.g., in Feng Shui). The stative verb sense is much more common in everyday speech.
n./s.v.
(stative verb) countrifiedunfashionablerustic (derogatory)
noun
earth energyemanations from the soil (in traditional Chinese thought)
Examples
- 土气。Tā de yīfu hěn tǔ qì.His clothes are very rustic.
- 土气。Zhèlǐ yǒu yì gǔ nóng nóng de tǔ qì.There is a thick earthiness here.
- 土气？Nǐ juéde zhège shèjì tǔ qì ma?Do you think this design is unfashionable?
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