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变卦 (biàn guà) — to go back on one's word; to change one's plan or decision

Definition

变卦 means to go back on a promise or change a settled plan, usually suddenly. Implies breaking a prior agreement, not just revising an idea. Used colloquially, often in (又) 变卦了 or 变了卦.

verb
to go back on one's wordto change one's plan or decision

Examples

  • ，变卦。
    Tā dā ying bāng wǒ, hòu lái yòu biàn guà le.
    He agreed to help me, but later went back on his word.
  • ？
    Shuō hǎo de jì huà zěn me tū rán biàn le guà?
    How did the agreed plan suddenly change?
  • ，变卦。
    Zhè cì hé zuò méi wán, yīn wèi duì fāng biàn guà le.
    This cooperation didn't go through because the other side backed out.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

变biànchange
卦guàdivination hexagram

变 means change, and 卦 is a divination hexagram; changing the hexagram means changing one's decision.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 變; 变 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
攴攴pū
Sound part声符shēngfú
䜌
䜌䜌變biàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 變 uses 䜌 as a sound part and 攴 as a meaning part.

Open 变 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
卜卜bǔ
Sound part声符shēngfú
圭
圭guī卦guà
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

卦 uses 卜 for the fortune-telling sense and 圭 for the sound. The 圭 part represents a pair of ritual axes, perhaps made of jade.

Open 卦 →
Appears in
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