(liúxíng cíyŭ) Popular Words
靠谱 (kàopŭ) Reliable; To be trusted
“靠谱 (kàopŭ)” originated from a northern dialect in China, and became quite popular in recent years. The meaning is reliable and to be trusted. When you pronounce it, it’s best to add a retroflex sound “儿 (ér)” at the end of “谱(pŭ),” just like “靠谱儿 (kàopŭr).” If you say that somebody who deals with something is “靠谱儿 (kàopŭr),” that means you can rely on him and he will handle it well. If you say that something is “靠谱儿 (kàopŭr),” that means it is feasible and reasonable. The opposite is “不靠谱儿 (bú kàopŭr)” which means that something is digressing from the subject, straying from the point or is unpractical. “靠 (kào)” means to rely on “谱 (pŭ)” means a chart or music score literally, but here it refers to feasibility and rationality.
Nĭ zhè rén zhēn bú kàopŭr!
你 这 人 真 不 靠谱儿！
You’re so unreliable!
Zhè jiàn shì yìdiǎnr dōu bú kàopŭr, gūjì bù hǎo bàn.
这 件 事 一 点儿 都 不 靠谱儿，估计 不 好 办。
This isn’t feasible at all. I’m afraid that it won’t be finished easily.