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败将 (bài jiāng) — defeated general; one who is defeated (in a contest or conflict)

Definition

Literary noun for a 'defeated general' or any beaten opponent — used figuratively beyond the military, often in set phrases like 手下败将 ('one of my vanquished foes').

noun
defeated generalone who is defeated (in a contest or conflict)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 败将。
    Zhè wèi bài jiāng céng zài lì shǐ shàng bèi jì zǎi.
    This defeated general was recorded in history.
  • 败将，。
    Tā shì wǒ de shǒu xià bài jiāng, měi cì bǐ sài wǒ dōu yíng tā.
    He is a defeated opponent of mine; I beat him every competition.
  • ，败将。
    Zài zhèng zhì dòu zhēng zhōng, tā chéng le duì shǒu de bài jiāng.
    In the political struggle, he became his opponent's defeated one.

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.

败bàidefeated
将jiānggeneral

败 conveys defeat, and 将 denotes a general, so the word means a general who has been defeated.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 敗; 败 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
攵Written in full as攴pūstrike
Sound part声符shēngfú
貝
貝bèi敗bài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 敗 has 貝 as the sound component and 攴 (written 攵) meaning strike. The simplified 败 is a later abbreviation, so its parts are not the original components.

Open 败 →

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 將; 将 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺼Written in full as肉ròumeat
寸寸cùnhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
爿
爿pán將jiāng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 將 combines 爿, which also supplies a sound and may show a small table, with ⺼ (meat) and 寸 (hand) to picture offering meat as tribute. The simplified 将 is a later shorthand.

Open 将 →
Appears in
Military & DefenseSuccess & Failure

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