Tǔ Doesn’t 土 Pejorative Broad Range Meanings Literally

土 tǔ

A pejorative with a broad range of meanings. It literally means “dirt” or “earth” and, most broadly, is used to describe an unsophisticated or uncultured person, much like “redneck” or “yokel” or “hick.” Someone who spits on the floor while indoors, doesn’t line up to buy things, or who can’t figure out how to use the ticket-vending machine in the subway, might be called tǔ. Tǔ can also be a generic, somewhat all-purpose put-down, like “dork.” More recently, tǔ refers to someone out of touch with aspects of modern society—for example, who doesn’t know how to use the Internet.