用中文聊欧洲国家的刻板印象
B1 Chinese listening practice · Mandarin Chinese · Curated for intermediate learners
What does “刻板印象 (kèbǎn yìnxiàng)” mean in Chinese?
刻板印象 (kèbǎn yìnxiàng) is the Chinese word for stereotype. 刻板 (kèbǎn) originally meant a woodblock carved for printing — the kind that stamps the same image again and again, identically, without variation. 印象 (yìnxiàng) means impression. Put them together and the etymology is vivid: a stereotype is a carved-block impression, the same fixed image printed onto every member of a group.
In the clip two learners discuss European national stereotypes in Chinese: Germany — lots of potatoes and sausage; Sweden — reserved, keeps distance; France — romantic, but other Europeans find the French irritating. The word 刻板印象 recurs naturally throughout, making it easy to see how it works in real conversation. A useful related word is 偏见 (piānjiàn, prejudice/bias), which is more negative in tone — 刻板印象 can be neutral or even affectionate, while 偏见 always implies unfairness.