有悖于 (yǒu bèi yú) — to go against, to be contrary to (formal/literary)

Definition

Formal/written verb meaning 'to go against / run counter to' (a principle, fact, or norm). Pairs with abstract nouns like 公德, 事实, 初衷 — far more literary than 违反.

verb
to go againstto be contrary to (formal/literary)

Examples

  • 有悖于。
    Zhè zhǒng xíng wéi yǒu bèi yú shè huì gōng dé.
    This behavior goes against social morality.
  • 有悖于。
    Tā de shuō fǎ yǒu bèi yú shì shí.
    His statement contradicts the facts.
  • 有悖于。
    Zhè xiē zuò fǎ yǒu bèi yú wǒ men de chū zhōng.
    These practices run counter to our original intentions.

Origin

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
肉肉ròumeat
Sound part声符shēngfú
又
又yòu有yǒu
Same sound today

The form 有 combines 又, used for its sound, with a shape from 肉, 'meat'; the hand-holding-meat story is a folk explanation, not shown in the oldest shape.

Open 有 →

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
忄Written in full as心xīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
孛
孛bèi悖⁰bèi
Same sound today

悖 pairs 忄, the side form of 心 meaning heart/mind, with 孛, which gives the sound bèi.

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Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 一一yīflat stream of air
  • 丂丂kǎoto exhale

The old shape of 于 may have pictured an ancient wind instrument. Another explanation reads 一 as a flat stream of air and 丂 as an exhaling mark.

Open 于 →

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