<p>In addition to the primary meaning (lacking proper respect or seriousness),  &quot;irreverent&quot; also means Lively and humorously cheeky or forward; and also, relates to the word &quot;satiric&quot;. So I think the term in Mandarine should be &quot;愛嘲諷的&quot;, or &quot;愛挖苦的&quot;. I've no knowledge of Cantonese though.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-08-03T23:30:08.347Z
2022-08-03T23:30:08.347Z
r13
<p><a href="https://cantoneseplus.com/word/147314" rel="nofollow noreferrer">玩世不恭</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>to trifle without respect (成语 saw); to despise worldly conventions; frivolous;</p>
</blockquote>
<p>大卫莱特曼被认为是一位<strong>玩世不恭的</strong>喜剧演员。</p>
<p>玩世 = 玩耍人世 - playfully lives one's life/ treating the world</p>
<p>不恭 = 不恭謹 - disrespectful/ not serious</p>
<p><em>My personal favorite Dr. House is a typical 玩世不恭者 If you can treat life like a game, you obviously have some great ability or talent</em></p>

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2022-08-03T14:51:37.537Z
While 玩世不恭 is not a bad choice, I do think it has different connotations than irreverent, especially in this context. 玩世不恭 is traditionally a derogatory term. Also, it means not only to disrespect established authority and conventions, but also to treat life itself like a game, often in a cynical way. Lastly, 玩世不恭 is often used to describe a certain type of characters who spend money lavishly and womanise, so it's a little loaded.
EEQ
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2022-08-03T08:57:56.417Z
2022-08-03T09:05:36.067Z
2022-08-03T09:05:36.067Z
Tang Ho
<p>In this particular case, I think irreverent is less about directly disrespecting someone but rather a disregard of social norms and taboos. Therefore 不拘世俗/不循规拘礼/不羁 (and other similar words) are a good translation in this context. In general, you can also use 纵意/率性 etc to convey that a person disregards social norms. 脱略 is a good one, but is not very commonly used in mordern Chinese. These all have neutral to positive connotations.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-08-03T14:38:48.203Z
2022-08-03T15:06:39.327Z
2022-08-03T15:06:39.327Z
EEQ
<p>How about 挖苦？</p>
<p>不要挖苦我了。<br />
don't dig the bitter things from me<br />
Don't be sarcastic!</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Greek sarkasmos &quot;a sneer, jest, taunt, mockery,&quot;</p>
</blockquote>
<p>basically, a lack of respect.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-08-03T14:11:02.803Z
2022-08-03T14:11:02.803Z
Pedroski
<p>The word &quot;irreverent&quot; is often used to describe someone who can be sarcastic or biting but in a positive, humorous way. For instance, David Letterman is considered an irreverent comedian.</p>
<p>Dictionaries list 不敬，褻慢，輕慢, but these all seem to be derogatory terms.</p>
<p>What's the appropriate equivalent in Mandarin and Cantonese?</p>

<mandarin><cantonese>
What is the appropriate equivalent for "irreverent" in Mandarin/Cantonese?
# What is the appropriate equivalent for "irreverent" in Mandarin/Cantonese?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-08-03)

The word "irreverent" is often used to describe someone who can be sarcastic or biting but in a positive, humorous way. For instance, David Letterman is considered an irreverent comedian.

Dictionaries list 不敬，褻慢，輕慢, but these all seem to be derogatory terms.

What's the appropriate equivalent in Mandarin and Cantonese?

**Tags:** mandarin, cantonese


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## 4 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2022-08-03. Score: 1

In addition to the primary meaning (lacking proper respect or seriousness), "irreverent" also means Lively and humorously cheeky or forward; and also, relates to the word "satiric". So I think the term in Mandarine should be "愛嘲諷的", or "愛挖苦的". I've no knowledge of Cantonese though.


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### Answer by username_2 on 2022-08-03. Score: 1

[玩世不恭](https://cantoneseplus.com/word/147314)

> to trifle without respect (成语 saw); to despise worldly conventions; frivolous;

大卫莱特曼被认为是一位**玩世不恭的**喜剧演员。

玩世 = 玩耍人世 - playfully lives one's life/ treating the world

不恭 = 不恭謹 - disrespectful/ not serious

*My personal favorite Dr. House is a typical 玩世不恭者 If you can treat life like a game, you obviously have some great ability or talent*

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: While 玩世不恭 is not a bad choice, I do think it has different connotations than irreverent, especially in this context. 玩世不恭 is traditionally a derogatory term. Also, it means not only to disrespect established authority and conventions, but also to treat life itself like a game, often in a cynical way. Lastly, 玩世不恭 is often used to describe a certain type of characters who spend money lavishly and womanise, so it's a little loaded.  

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### Answer by username_3 on 2022-08-03. Score: 1

In this particular case, I think irreverent is less about directly disrespecting someone but rather a disregard of social norms and taboos. Therefore 不拘世俗/不循规拘礼/不羁 (and other similar words) are a good translation in this context. In general, you can also use 纵意/率性 etc to convey that a person disregards social norms. 脱略 is a good one, but is not very commonly used in mordern Chinese. These all have neutral to positive connotations.


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### Answer by username_4 on 2022-08-03. Score: 0

How about 挖苦？

不要挖苦我了。  
don't dig the bitter things from me  
Don't be sarcastic!

> Greek sarkasmos "a sneer, jest, taunt, mockery,"

basically, a lack of respect.


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