笨蛋 bèn dàn
One of the softest insults in Chinese.
The short answer
CasualNow commonChecked November 2026
Bendan means “dummy” or “silly”: a mild word for a person who did something foolish. Between friends, couples and family it is often affectionate.
In a chat
- 琦琦 Qiqi
我出门忘带钥匙了，进不去了。
I forgot my keys, and now I'm locked out.
- 灯灯 Dengdeng
又忘了？
Again?
- 琦琦 Qiqi
这周第三次了。
Third time this week.
- 灯灯 Dengdeng
笨蛋，我给你送备用钥匙。
Silly. I'll bring you the spare key.
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How to reply
你才是笨蛋！
You're the dummy!
谢谢你，我真是个笨蛋。
Thank you. I'm such a dummy.
When not to use it
- Do not say it to your boss, a teacher or a stranger. Even a mild insult is rude to someone who is not a friend.
- Say it with a smile. In an angry voice, 笨蛋 is a real insult.
What it means
笨 means stupid or clumsy, and 蛋 is an egg. Several words for people end in 蛋, such as 坏蛋 (“bad egg”, a villain) and 笨蛋. Of the insults in everyday use, 笨蛋 is one of the mildest.
Parents say it to children, couples say it to each other, and friends say it after a small mistake. The tone is closer to “silly” than to “idiot”.
How people use it
It is a noun: 你这个笨蛋 (“you dummy”). 小笨蛋 (“little dummy”) is affectionate, and 大笨蛋 (“big dummy”) is a little stronger.
You can also say it about yourself: 我真是个笨蛋 means “I'm such an idiot”.
Where it comes from
The character 笨 first meant the thin inner layer of bamboo. The Dong Chinese dictionary quotes the oldest Chinese character dictionary, the 说文解字, for this meaning. Today the character means “stupid” or “clumsy”, and 笨蛋 is its most common word.
In use
2 examples我真是个笨蛋，又坐错车了。
I'm such a dummy. I took the wrong bus again.
小笨蛋，你的伞忘在我这里了。
Silly, you left your umbrella at my place.
The characters
Explore individuallyIndividual character meanings do not always explain the meaning of the whole word.
Sources
This guide is original Dengdeng editorial content, offered under CC BY-SA 4.0. The linked dictionary entries adapt CC-CEDICT under the same license.