(pàn) — to betray; to rebel (bound form)

Definition

叛 is a bound morpheme meaning 'betray / rebel,' almost always paired with another character (背叛, 叛乱, 叛变) — it rarely stands alone.

bound form
to betrayto rebel (bound form)

Examples

  • Tā bèi pàn le péng you, dà jiā dōu hěn shī wàng.
    He betrayed his friend, and everyone was disappointed.
  • Zhè ge guó jiā fā shēng le pàn luàn, jú shì fēi cháng jǐn zhāng.
    A rebellion broke out in this country, and the situation is very tense.
  • Tā zài zhàn zhēng zhōng xuǎn zé pàn biàn, jiā rù le dí jūn.
    He chose to defect during the war and joined the enemy forces.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
Sound part声符shēngfú
bànpàn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

叛 pairs 反 as its meaning part with 半 as its sound part.

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