二毛

èr máo

Colloquial term with multiple meanings: 1. a nickname for a person with light-colored or half-gray hair; 2. a casual pejorative term for a person of mixed Chinese and Western ancestry; 3. a traditional term for a person over 40 years old in ancient China

邻居家的小孩大家都叫他二毛。

Everyone calls the kid from the neighbor's family Ermao.

Etymology

The term originated in ancient Chinese texts, where it originally referred to people with mixed black and gray hair, typically middle-aged people. Over time, it developed additional colloquial meanings in modern Chinese.

Memory Aid

Break down the characters: 二 (two) + 毛 (hair) → two colors of hair, matching the original meaning of mixed gray and black hair.

Collocations

叫二毛小名二毛

Related Words

外号小名头发