败阵 (bài zhèn) — to be beaten in a battle, contest, or competition

Definition

A vivid compound verb meaning 'to be defeated in battle or contest,' usually used in military, sports, or competitive contexts. Less common than 失败 and more formal/literary in tone.

verb
to be beaten in a battlecontestor competition

Examples

  • 败阵。
    Zhè chǎng bǐ sài zhōng tā men bài zhèn le.
    They were defeated in this match.
  • ，。
    Duì fāng shí lì tài qiáng, wǒ men bài le sān cì zhèn.
    The opponent was too strong; we lost three times.
  • 败阵，。
    Suī rán bài zhèn, dàn tā men méi yǒu fàng qì.
    Although they were defeated, they didn't give up.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

败bàidefeat
阵zhènformation

败 means to defeat or lose and 阵 refers to a battle formation, meaning to be beaten in a battle.

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 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 陣; 阵 is its simplified writing.

  • 東東dōngsack?
  • 東東dōng
  • 攴攴pū

In the traditional form 陣, a left-side part was added to a shortened 東; the older shape also used 攴. The simplified 阵 is a later shorthand.

Open 阵 →

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