褒贬不一 (bāo biǎn bù yī) — to receive mixed reviews; opinions are divided; controversial

Definition

A set phrase meaning opinions are mixed — some praise (褒), some criticize (贬), and they don't agree (不一). Used for things under debate: films, policies, books, ideas.

verb
to receive mixed reviewsopinions are dividedcontroversial

Examples

  • 褒贬不一，，。
    Zhè bù xīn chū de diàn yǐng bāo biǎn bù yī, yǒu rén jué de hěn hǎo, yǒu rén jué de hěn chà.
    This newly released movie has received mixed reviews; some think it's great, others think it's terrible.
  • ，褒贬不一。
    Duì yú tā de gǎi gé fāng àn, zhuān jiā men de yì jiàn bāo biǎn bù yī.
    Experts' opinions on his reform plan are divided.
  • 褒贬不一，。
    Zhè běn shū zài wǎng shàng bāo biǎn bù yī, nǐ kě yǐ zì jǐ dú yi dú zài pàn duàn.
    This book has mixed reviews online; you can read it yourself and then judge.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

褒贬praise and blame
褒bāopraise贬biǎnblame
联合Side by side
不一not the same
不bùnot一yīsame
偏正Modifier + head

'褒' and '贬' are praise and blame, and '不一' means not the same, giving mixed opinions.

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
衣衣yī
Sound part声符shēngfú
保
保bǎo褒bāo
Same sound today

褒 combines 衣, a meaning part, with 保, a sound part.

Open 褒 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 貶; 贬 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 貶 pairs 貝 (shell) with 乏 giving the sound; the simplified 贬 is a later shorthand.

Open 贬 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

一 is drawn as one horizontal stroke, marking the number one.

Open 一 →

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