<p>The 直 in 直男癌 should just equate to the English: <em>straight</em>. 直男癌 is usually used to emphasize how straight men lack the sensitivity that other people tend to have.</p>
<p>On first glance, the 直 in 直娘贼 seems like an accentual shift of 入/日, or <em>fuck</em>. 直娘贼 is generally used as a curse word.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-06-26T16:10:00.680Z
娘贼 implying 'Feminine thief ' = unmanly asshole (没有男子气概的混蛋 )
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-06-26T16:33:34.630Z
@TangHo You're parsing it wrong. -贼 is just a suffix. The word is 直娘，日娘 or 入娘, basically a *motherfuck*. The characters 娘贼 don't belong together.
Mou某
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-06-26T16:55:50.063Z
In this case, 贼 would be a noun then. And 直娘贼 would mean 'you motherfucker'
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-06-26T10:11:36.387Z
2021-06-28T10:43:32.263Z
2021-06-28T10:43:32.263Z
Mou某
<p>From <a href="https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=29859" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>在中国，“直男癌”是一个新造词。它代表了这么一群人：ta们用各种理由和行动，贬抑女性价值、伤害妇女权利、阻碍性别平等运动。…仇视少数族裔、呼吁保守价值观的回归。总的来说，“直男癌”和英语中的“男性沙文主义者”比较相似。</p>
</blockquote>
<p>直男癌：a male chauvinist</p>
<blockquote>
<p>In &quot;Last new term of the year in China&quot; (12/16/16), we encountered a
very recent neologism in Chinese: hánzhàoliàng 含赵量 (&quot;Zhaoness&quot;)
(220,000 ghits). The expression we examine in this post — zhínán ái
直男癌 (&quot;straight man cancer&quot;) — has been around a bit longer, for at
least a couple of years, and circulates even more widely, with
1,830,000 ghits.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>所以“直男癌”的直：straight<br />
Therefore, this &quot;直&quot; means: straight</p>
<p>From <a href="https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/312841021.html?qbl=relate_question_1&amp;word=%D6%B1%C4%EF%D4%F4%CA%C7%CA%B2%C3%B4%D2%E2%CB%BC" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>:</p>
<p>直：同‘值’，是“卖”的意思，<br />
zhi: same as 'value', the meaning is sell,<br />
宋代乡村里一种不设座位的小酒肆，<br />
(refers to) a makeshift wine bar without seats in villages in the Song dynasty.<br />
叫“直卖店”,<br />
called &quot;direct sell shop&quot;<br />
所以”直娘贼”的“直”取了“直卖”之意，<br />
therefore, the zhi in &quot;zhi niang zei&quot; is taken from the idea of &quot;direct sell&quot;   ,<br />
意思是“不知廉耻，把娘都卖了的狗贼”。<br />
the meaning is &quot;a brigand who knows no honour, who sells women&quot;</p>
<p>所以“直娘贼”的直：directly sell<br />
Therefore the  “直”in “直娘贼” means directly sell.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-06-26T22:55:47.687Z
2021-06-26T22:55:47.687Z
Pedroski
<p>Nope. 直男癌 is a web slang only being popular, and in my opinion, created, recently. Those heavy Internet users know this word. 直娘贼 is a 白话 word, and not used anymore currently, or at least most exceptionally rare. Very few Chinese know this word because few people read, and are able to read, 白话 novels. To use the English language as an example, 直娘贼 is like the dead words in Latin which if you ask people on the street randomly, probably it will take hours to find one knowing them.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-06-28T10:32:07.093Z
2021-06-29T10:01:43.443Z
2021-06-29T10:01:43.443Z
Limina102
<p>直男癌 is believed to be web slang and 直娘贼 is seen in old novels like 水浒 or other warrior-themed stories, I do not really know their meanings and want to know the meaning of the word 直 in the two phrases.</p>

<word>
Is 直 in 直男癌 and 直娘贼 of the same meaning?
# Is 直 in 直男癌 and 直娘贼 of the same meaning?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-06-26)

直男癌 is believed to be web slang and 直娘贼 is seen in old novels like 水浒 or other warrior-themed stories, I do not really know their meanings and want to know the meaning of the word 直 in the two phrases.

**Tags:** word


---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2021-06-26. Score: 3

The 直 in 直男癌 should just equate to the English: *straight*. 直男癌 is usually used to emphasize how straight men lack the sensitivity that other people tend to have.

On first glance, the 直 in 直娘贼 seems like an accentual shift of 入/日, or *fuck*. 直娘贼 is generally used as a curse word.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: 娘贼 implying 'Feminine thief ' = unmanly asshole (没有男子气概的混蛋 )  
> **username_1**: @TangHo You're parsing it wrong. -贼 is just a suffix. The word is 直娘，日娘 or 入娘, basically a *motherfuck*. The characters 娘贼 don't belong together.  
> **username_2**: In this case, 贼 would be a noun then. And 直娘贼 would mean 'you motherfucker'  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2021-06-26. Score: 1

From [here](https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=29859):

> 在中国，“直男癌”是一个新造词。它代表了这么一群人：ta们用各种理由和行动，贬抑女性价值、伤害妇女权利、阻碍性别平等运动。…仇视少数族裔、呼吁保守价值观的回归。总的来说，“直男癌”和英语中的“男性沙文主义者”比较相似。

直男癌：a male chauvinist

> In "Last new term of the year in China" (12/16/16), we encountered a
> very recent neologism in Chinese: hánzhàoliàng 含赵量 ("Zhaoness")
> (220,000 ghits). The expression we examine in this post — zhínán ái
> 直男癌 ("straight man cancer") — has been around a bit longer, for at
> least a couple of years, and circulates even more widely, with
> 1,830,000 ghits.

所以“直男癌”的直：straight  
Therefore, this "直" means: straight

From [here](https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/312841021.html?qbl=relate_question_1&word=%D6%B1%C4%EF%D4%F4%CA%C7%CA%B2%C3%B4%D2%E2%CB%BC):

直：同‘值’，是“卖”的意思，  
zhi: same as 'value', the meaning is sell,  
宋代乡村里一种不设座位的小酒肆，  
(refers to) a makeshift wine bar without seats in villages in the Song dynasty.  
叫“直卖店”,  
called "direct sell shop"  
所以”直娘贼”的“直”取了“直卖”之意，  
therefore, the zhi in "zhi niang zei" is taken from the idea of "direct sell" ,  
意思是“不知廉耻，把娘都卖了的狗贼”。  
the meaning is "a brigand who knows no honour, who sells women"

所以“直娘贼”的直：directly sell  
Therefore the “直”in “直娘贼” means directly sell.


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2021-06-28. Score: 1

Nope. 直男癌 is a web slang only being popular, and in my opinion, created, recently. Those heavy Internet users know this word. 直娘贼 is a 白话 word, and not used anymore currently, or at least most exceptionally rare. Very few Chinese know this word because few people read, and are able to read, 白话 novels. To use the English language as an example, 直娘贼 is like the dead words in Latin which if you ask people on the street randomly, probably it will take hours to find one knowing them.


---

