背运 (bèi yùn) — (colloquial) bad luck, unluckiness

Definition

背运 (bèiyùn) means 'a streak of bad luck' — a temporary run of misfortune, stronger than just 'unlucky'. It is a separable verb, often used with 走 ('走背运' = to be down on one's luck).

noun
(colloquial) bad luckunluckiness

Examples

  • 背运。
    Zhè duàn shí jiān tā yì zhí zǒu bèi yùn.
    He's been having bad luck lately.
  • 背运，。
    bèi yùn De shí hou bú yào huī xīn, zǒng huì hǎo qǐ lái de.
    When you're down on your luck, don't lose heart — things will get better.
  • 背运，。
    Jīn tiān zhēn shì bèi yùn, shén me shì dōu bú shùn.
    Today is really unlucky — nothing goes smoothly.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

背bèiunlucky
运yùnfortune

背 means unlucky and 运 means fortune, denoting bad luck.

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
月Written in full as肉ròumeat
Sound part声符shēngfú
北
北běi背bèi
Same sound today

背 was first written as 北; 北 gives the sound, and 肉 (meat, written as 月 here) was added to separate it from 北’s north meaning.

Open 背 →

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 運; 运 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辵辵chuòmotion
Sound part声符shēngfú
軍
軍jūn運yùn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 運 combines 辵, meaning motion, with 軍 to give the sound; the simplified 运 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 运 →

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