<p>If you really want to break down their differences..here you go:<br></p>
<p><b>笨:inability to understand and memorize things, sometimes also used to describe someone after he/she did something stupid<br></b>
Example:<br></p>
<pre><code>你是笨蛋嗎? 我已經說了我對你沒興趣
Are you an idiot? I already told you I'm not interested in you.
</code></pre>
<p><b>蠢:stupid, similar to 笨, but slightly more emphasizing on someone's low IQ<br></b>
Example:<br></p>
<pre><code>你總是做一堆蠢事，誰還想和你一起約會?
You always do so many stupid things, who would go out with you on a date?
</code></pre>
<p><b>傻: foolish, lack of common sense and reasoning, sometimes gets easily ripped off<br></b>
Example:</p>
<pre><code>哥們, 我老早就告訴你不要在她身上浪費時間。你就是傻子。
Bro, I've told you already don't waste time on her. You're a fool.
</code></pre>
<p>呆:dull, insensitive mind<br>
Example...I can't think of one right now. You may look up what a Slowpoke(pokemon) looks like. Its Chinese translation is 呆呆獸 and its look is basically the definition of 呆. (獸=monster)</p>
<p>痴: usually only used when there's actually neurological issue, or sometimes used to describe someone's overly obsessed with something. Exception would be 白痴, which has similar meaning and level of insult as 笨蛋 in my opinion<br>
Example:</p>
<pre><code>我是多麼的傻, 才會痴痴地愛上你。
How foolish am I to madly fall in love with you.

...白痴嗎?
...Idiot?
</code></pre>
<p>Reading more Chinese books and watching C-dramas will help you better understand their differences.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-08T20:16:14.137Z
2021-05-08T20:16:14.137Z
wk14
<p>蠢, 笨, 傻 - All mean &quot;stupid&quot;, but depends on who and when (the circumstances) a person says the words.</p>
<p>蠢 is a word that shall be avoided in most circumstances by anybody, but unfortunately, it is frequently used by a person with authoritative power over another person, such as a supervisor/employer calls his subordinate employee 蠢貨, 蠢材, the sole intention is to insulate and humiliate the recipient.</p>
<p>But when it is used in commenting on a stupid thing, then it is less insulting but somewhat critical of the person who acted stupidly and committed a stupid thing, as in the phrases &quot;蠢人蠢事&quot;, &quot;愚蠢的人(事)&quot;.</p>
<p>笨 and 傻 are less intense than 蠢. They are mostly used when referring to a person who is perceived as less intelligent due to slowness in reaction to outside stimulation, such as addressing someone 笨蛋,傻子, or stupid methods (ways), 笨方法, stupid things, 傻事.</p>
<p>Contrary to the above, 笨 and 傻 can be an expression of passion between the speaker and the recipient, such as parents or elders call the young child 笨(傻)小子, and a girlfriend or wife calls the man 傻子, 笨蛋 in intimated conservations.</p>
<p>The meaning of 呆 and 痴 are very close. Both pointing to a person with an absent mind on everything but a particular thing or person, such as 書呆子 (a nerd in academic studies), 發呆 (a state of empty mind and motionless); 痴情(心) or 情痴 (a person devoted to his lover as Romeo towards Juliet). When the two words joint together, 痴呆, the meaning changes to mean a person not moved by/responded to outside circumstances, or due to the illness 痴呆症.</p>
<p>There are other uses of 呆 and 痴 that have meanings slightly different from the above:</p>
<ul>
<li>呆子, 呆頭鵝: Similar to 傻子, which is often used between the significant others, or best friends (usually opposite in sex).</li>
<li>痴人說夢, 痴心妄想: A person's thoughts/thinkings beyond the manageable reality, which are deemed unachievable by the others.</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-15T03:47:03.633Z
What is the difference between all of these?↓
jinglingmen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-15T03:47:51.307Z
这个人真笨。  这个人真傻。 这个人真呆。 这个人真蠢。这个人真痴。
jinglingmen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-15T12:36:23.863Z
这个人真笨 - a milder form of 这个人真蠢, - the most unkind comment.  这个人真傻。 这个人真呆 mostly used in commenting a person who has a close relationship with the commenter. 这个人真痴 - express envy on someone's persistence on something (usually love event).
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-15T14:06:50.963Z
I don't think 傻 is the most unkind comment.
jinglingmen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-15T14:12:38.170Z
I wouldn't say to my friend, 你真呆. It sounds weird and unfriendly.
jinglingmen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-15T15:58:41.053Z
Incorrect, it actually is a friendly expression said jokingly. 呆 is not as offensive as 笨, which in turn is a less derogation word than 蠢 - meaning a person has no ability to digest, learn and comprehend anything due to the lack of common sense, education, and mental capacity. Guaranteed, you'll draw resentment from the receiver 100%.  I suggest using 蠢 only in conjunction with 愚 to describe a stupid thing or event conducted by a person foolishly and carelessly without thought through in the head.
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-15T16:08:32.873Z
Note that 呆 means "empty mind", often associated with the slow reaction from the recipient due to his/her lack of concentration, or overly concentrated on a certain thing that fully occupies his/her mind and prevented him/her to act/react normally. It is equivalent to 傻 in this case. Both won't hurt the recipient's feeling, thus make no harm.
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-16T04:05:33.107Z
I don't think 傻 is the most unkind comment. it's perfectly acceptable to say 我太傻了 or 你太傻了（followed by 竟然相信这种人的话, for example）， but it's hard to not sound offensive when you say 你太蠢了.
jinglingmen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-16T04:56:48.247Z
"I don't think 傻 is the most unkind comment.", you are correct, but from where you get the impression that 傻 is the most unkind comment? Did I make the mistake in my statements? "it's hard to not sound offensive when you say 你太蠢了.", you are correct again. If you wish to preserve the friendship, don't ever say it. But if a friend made a stupid mistake, you can criticize with a milder tune - 這件事你做(處理)的太愚蠢了 or 那是一個愚蠢的決定(方法). The recipient might not accept the criticism at the time, but likely to thank you at a later time for the harsh words that served as a deterrent for furthering stupid. act.
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-16T05:21:13.850Z
- the most unkind comment. 这个人真傻。
jinglingmen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-16T06:47:36.613Z
which one is right？- the most unkind comment. 这个人真傻。or 这个人真蠢, - the most unkind comment.
jinglingmen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-17T03:16:14.000Z
你可以回答给我吗？谢谢。。。。
jinglingmen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-17T03:24:11.667Z
My response was moved to chat. The answer is "the latter". Also, see my comment made to another question of yours, and let me know how it sounds to you.
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-08T19:50:58.873Z
2021-05-08T19:50:58.873Z
r13
<p>笨/蠢/傻/呆/痴  what are the differences and how are they properly used in a sentence? thnk U</p>
<p>What is the difference between all of these?↓</p>
<p>这个人真笨。 这个人真傻。 这个人真呆。 这个人真蠢。这个人真痴。</p>

<meaning><word>
How can I use 笨/蠢/傻/呆/痴 properly?
# How can I use 笨/蠢/傻/呆/痴 properly?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-05-08)

笨/蠢/傻/呆/痴 what are the differences and how are they properly used in a sentence? thnk U

What is the difference between all of these?↓

这个人真笨。 这个人真傻。 这个人真呆。 这个人真蠢。这个人真痴。

**Tags:** meaning, word


---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2021-05-08. Score: 1

If you really want to break down their differences..here you go:

**笨:inability to understand and memorize things, sometimes also used to describe someone after he/she did something stupid**
Example:

```
你是笨蛋嗎? 我已經說了我對你沒興趣
Are you an idiot? I already told you I'm not interested in you.

```

**蠢:stupid, similar to 笨, but slightly more emphasizing on someone's low IQ**
Example:

```
你總是做一堆蠢事，誰還想和你一起約會?
You always do so many stupid things, who would go out with you on a date?

```

**傻: foolish, lack of common sense and reasoning, sometimes gets easily ripped off**
Example:

```
哥們, 我老早就告訴你不要在她身上浪費時間。你就是傻子。
Bro, I've told you already don't waste time on her. You're a fool.

```

呆:dull, insensitive mind  
Example...I can't think of one right now. You may look up what a Slowpoke(pokemon) looks like. Its Chinese translation is 呆呆獸 and its look is basically the definition of 呆. (獸=monster)

痴: usually only used when there's actually neurological issue, or sometimes used to describe someone's overly obsessed with something. Exception would be 白痴, which has similar meaning and level of insult as 笨蛋 in my opinion  
Example:

```
我是多麼的傻, 才會痴痴地愛上你。
How foolish am I to madly fall in love with you.

...白痴嗎?
...Idiot?

```

Reading more Chinese books and watching C-dramas will help you better understand their differences.


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2021-05-08. Score: 1

蠢, 笨, 傻 - All mean "stupid", but depends on who and when (the circumstances) a person says the words.

蠢 is a word that shall be avoided in most circumstances by anybody, but unfortunately, it is frequently used by a person with authoritative power over another person, such as a supervisor/employer calls his subordinate employee 蠢貨, 蠢材, the sole intention is to insulate and humiliate the recipient.

But when it is used in commenting on a stupid thing, then it is less insulting but somewhat critical of the person who acted stupidly and committed a stupid thing, as in the phrases "蠢人蠢事", "愚蠢的人(事)".

笨 and 傻 are less intense than 蠢. They are mostly used when referring to a person who is perceived as less intelligent due to slowness in reaction to outside stimulation, such as addressing someone 笨蛋,傻子, or stupid methods (ways), 笨方法, stupid things, 傻事.

Contrary to the above, 笨 and 傻 can be an expression of passion between the speaker and the recipient, such as parents or elders call the young child 笨(傻)小子, and a girlfriend or wife calls the man 傻子, 笨蛋 in intimated conservations.

The meaning of 呆 and 痴 are very close. Both pointing to a person with an absent mind on everything but a particular thing or person, such as 書呆子 (a nerd in academic studies), 發呆 (a state of empty mind and motionless); 痴情(心) or 情痴 (a person devoted to his lover as Romeo towards Juliet). When the two words joint together, 痴呆, the meaning changes to mean a person not moved by/responded to outside circumstances, or due to the illness 痴呆症.

There are other uses of 呆 and 痴 that have meanings slightly different from the above:

* 呆子, 呆頭鵝: Similar to 傻子, which is often used between the significant others, or best friends (usually opposite in sex).
* 痴人說夢, 痴心妄想: A person's thoughts/thinkings beyond the manageable reality, which are deemed unachievable by the others.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: What is the difference between all of these?↓  
> **username_0**: 这个人真笨。  这个人真傻。 这个人真呆。 这个人真蠢。这个人真痴。  
> **username_2**: 这个人真笨 - a milder form of 这个人真蠢, - the most unkind comment.  这个人真傻。 这个人真呆 mostly used in commenting a person who has a close relationship with the commenter. 这个人真痴 - express envy on someone's persistence on something (usually love event).  
> **username_0**: I don't think 傻 is the most unkind comment.  
> **username_0**: I wouldn't say to my friend, 你真呆. It sounds weird and unfriendly.  
> **username_2**: Incorrect, it actually is a friendly expression said jokingly. 呆 is not as offensive as 笨, which in turn is a less derogation word than 蠢 - meaning a person has no ability to digest, learn and comprehend anything due to the lack of common sense, education, and mental capacity. Guaranteed, you'll draw resentment from the receiver 100%.  I suggest using 蠢 only in conjunction with 愚 to describe a stupid thing or event conducted by a person foolishly and carelessly without thought through in the head.  
> **username_2**: Note that 呆 means "empty mind", often associated with the slow reaction from the recipient due to his/her lack of concentration, or overly concentrated on a certain thing that fully occupies his/her mind and prevented him/her to act/react normally. It is equivalent to 傻 in this case. Both won't hurt the recipient's feeling, thus make no harm.  
> **username_0**: I don't think 傻 is the most unkind comment. it's perfectly acceptable to say 我太傻了 or 你太傻了（followed by 竟然相信这种人的话, for example）， but it's hard to not sound offensive when you say 你太蠢了.  
> **username_2**: "I don't think 傻 is the most unkind comment.", you are correct, but from where you get the impression that 傻 is the most unkind comment? Did I make the mistake in my statements? "it's hard to not sound offensive when you say 你太蠢了.", you are correct again. If you wish to preserve the friendship, don't ever say it. But if a friend made a stupid mistake, you can criticize with a milder tune - 這件事你做(處理)的太愚蠢了 or 那是一個愚蠢的決定(方法). The recipient might not accept the criticism at the time, but likely to thank you at a later time for the harsh words that served as a deterrent for furthering stupid. act.  
> **username_0**: - the most unkind comment. 这个人真傻。  
> **username_0**: which one is right？- the most unkind comment. 这个人真傻。or 这个人真蠢, - the most unkind comment.  
> **username_0**: 你可以回答给我吗？谢谢。。。。  
> **username_2**: My response was moved to chat. The answer is "the latter". Also, see my comment made to another question of yours, and let me know how it sounds to you.  

---

