可悲 (kě bēi) — lamentable, pathetic

Definition

可悲 (kěbēi) means 'lamentable' — a sad, regrettable situation or quality. It's colder and more judgmental than 可怜 (pity-inducing), closer to 悲惨 (miserable/tragic) but for circumstances, not a person's state.

adjective
lamentablepathetic

Examples

  • ，可悲。
    Kàn dào tā men làng fèi liáng shi, zhēn kě bēi.
    It's truly pathetic to see them waste food.
  • ，可悲。
    Tā yīn wèi yì diǎn xiǎo shì jiù fàng qì, tài kě bēi le.
    He gave up over a small matter — how lamentable.
  • 可悲，。
    kě bēi De shì, méi rén yuàn yì bāng zhù tā.
    What's lamentable is that no one is willing to help him.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
前缀qiánzhuìPrefix

A fixed syllable in front that adds a shade of meaning but carries none of its own.

可kěworthy of
悲bēisad

可 suggests deserving sadness, and 悲 means sad, so the whole means lamentable.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
丂
丂kǎo可kě
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

可 pairs 口 (mouth) with 丂 as a sound part; it is tied to air from the mouth, perhaps singing.

Open 可 →

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
心心xīnheart; thought; emotion
Sound part声符shēngfú
非
非fēi悲bēi
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

悲 pairs 非 as the sound part with 心, the heart/emotion part.

Open 悲 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Emotions & Feelings5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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