幼稚 yòuzhì young
young; childish; puerile
How to remember 幼稚: 幼 infant + 稚 young = young.
Characters
How it is used
- Childish/immature - usually a criticism of thinking or behavior - 你的想法太幼稚了 (nǐ de xiǎngfǎ tài yòuzhì le) your idea is too naive.
- Literally 'young', but in modern use it overwhelmingly means puerile/naive, not literally young in age.
- Contrast 天真 (tiānzhēn), which can be endearingly innocent; 幼稚 is nearly always negative. Note 幼稚园 (kindergarten) preserves the old literal sense.
Example sentences
- 她说话幼稚。 Tā shuōhuà yòuzhì.She talked childishly.
- 不要那么幼稚。 Búyào nàme yòuzhì.Don't be so childish.