瘋狂 / 疯狂
fēngkuáng
The English word 'crazy' can be translated into Chinese using several forms, most commonly 瘋狂 / 疯狂 (fēngkuáng). Wiktionary also lists 瘋 / 疯 (fēng).
Meaning: insane, demented (adj)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 瘋狂 / 疯狂 | fēngkuáng |
| 瘋 / 疯 | fēng |
The term can describe someone who is insane or demented. When you want to use the word as an adjective to modify a noun, such as 'a crazy person', you typically add the particle 的 (de) to the word to form 瘋狂的 / 疯狂的.
Which one should you use?
The full form 瘋狂 / 疯狂 (fēngkuáng) is used for the concept of being crazy or frantic, whereas the shorter form 瘋 / 疯 (fēng) is a more condensed version of the word.
How does it change in a sentence?
To describe someone who has gone crazy as a completed action or a state, you add the particle 了 (le) after the word to get 瘋了 / 疯了.
How do you pronounce it?
fēngkuáng
Did you know?
- The phonetic part of the character 瘋 is 風, which means 'wind'. In ancient Chinese medicine, mental instability was sometimes attributed to 'wind' entering the body.
- The character 瘋 contains the radical 疒, which is the 'disease' radical. This indicates that, in traditional Chinese thought, being 'crazy' was viewed as a physical illness or a medical condition rather than just a personality trait.
- In modern slang, calling someone 瘋了 is often used as a compliment for someone showing an incredible or 'insane' level of skill or boldness, similar to saying 'that is wild' in English.
Examples in context
- 他举止疯狂得让人感到不安。His behavior is so crazy that it makes people feel uneasy.
- 他突然发疯，开始毁坏东西。He suddenly went crazy and started to destroy things.
- 他昨晚喝醉了，完全疯了。He got drunk last night and went completely crazy.
- 他追着自己的尾巴跑，简直疯掉了。He's running after his own tail, he's gone completely crazy.
- 他瘋了。He has gone crazy.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “crazy” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 瘋, CC BY-SA 4.0.
