贱人 (jiàn rén)
What does 贱人 (jiàn rén) mean? 贱人 (jiàn rén) is a Chinese severe that translates to “bitch / lowlife / scum” in English.
Literal Translation
cheap person / low person
Meaning & Usage
"bitch / lowlife / scum"
Person of low moral character; cheap in value.
Examples in the Wild
你这个贱人！ (Nǐ zhège jiànrén! - You bitch/lowlife!)
When to Use It
Context
- Expressing strong frustration or emphasis
- Only among very close friends who share this register
- Direct confrontation (use with caution)
Avoid
- Professional or formal settings
- Around elders or authority figures
- Public spaces — will cause genuine offense
- Job interviews, meetings, or customer-facing situations
Cultural Context
Strong insult implying the person has no self-respect or dignity. 'Jiàn' (贱) = cheap/low. 'Jiàn huò' (贱货 - cheap goods) is variant, more severe. Often gendered but can apply to men.
More in Chinese 🇨🇳
View all →去你的 (qù nǐ de)
“go to hell / fuck off / get lost”
Milder way to tell someone to go away.
他妈的
“fuck / damn / fucking hell”
The most common Chinese expletive. Literally 'his mother's' but used as all-purpose profanity.
BT
“pervert / psycho / BT”
Abbreviation for 变态 (biàntài - pervert).
操你妈
“motherfucker / fuck your mother”
The gravest insult in Mandarin. Directly attacks the target's mother sexually.
肏你妈 (cào nǐ mā)
“fuck your mother”
Sexual violation of the listener's mother.
狗东西 (gǒu dōng xi)
“son of a bitch / dog thing / cur”
Contemptible person; literally 'dog thing/object.'
操
“fuck”
The most vulgar verb meaning 'to fuck.' Often written with substitute character 操 (exercise) to avoid censorship.
鸭子 (yā zi)
“duck / gigolo / male prostitute”
Duck; slang for male prostitute.