八卦 bāguà the eight divinatory trigrams of the Book of Changes 易经
the eight divinatory trigrams of the Book of Changes 易经; gossip; gossipy
How to remember 八卦: 八 eight + 卦 divination = the eight divinatory trigrams of the Book of Changes 易经.
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How it is used
- Originally the eight trigrams of the I Ching (used in fortune-telling and feng shui), but in daily speech it means 'gossip' - 别八卦别人 (bié bāguà biérén) don't gossip about others.
- Also an adjective: 她很八卦 (tā hěn bāguà) she's a real gossip / nosy. 八卦新闻 (bāguà xīnwén) = tabloid/celebrity gossip. This colloquial sense is by far the most common today.