悖 (bèi) — contrary to; to go against; perverse
Definition
A bound morpheme meaning 'to go against' or 'contrary to' — nearly always embedded in set phrases like 悖论 (paradox) or 并行不悖 (not contradictory). It is formal and written.
bound form
contrary toto go againstperverse
Easily confused
- 脖bólook-alikeneck (bound morpheme, usually appears in 脖子 or compound words)
- 被bèisound-alike(preposition) used to mark passive voice, placed before the doer (or directly before the verb if the doer is omitted)
- 背bèisound-aliketo memorize, to recite from memory
- 背bèisound-alike(noun) back (of the body)
- 倍bèisound-alike(classifier) times, -fold (indicates multiplier after a number)
- 贝bèisound-alikeshell; shellfish (bound form, appears in compounds)
Examples
- 。Zhè ge shuō fǎ shì yí gè bèi lùn.This statement is a paradox.
- 悖。Zhè liǎng jiàn shì bìng xíng bú bèi.These two things are not mutually exclusive.
- 悖。Tā de xíng wéi bèi nì le chuán tǒng.His behavior went against tradition.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
悖 pairs 忄, the side form of 心 meaning heart/mind, with 孛, which gives the sound bèi.
Appears in
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