败 (bài) — to lose, to be defeated; to defeat, to beat; to fail, to be unsuccessful
Definition
败 (bài) is a short, somewhat literary verb used both for 'losing/being defeated' and 'defeating (someone)'. Compare 失败 ('fail' — broader, also an adjective) and 打败 ('defeat' — colloquial, more concrete 'beat someone').
verb
to loseto be defeatedto defeatto beatto failto be unsuccessful
Easily confused
- 赛sàilook-aliketo compete
- 贵guìlook-alikeexpensive
- 赏shǎnglook-aliketo reward, to bestow (a gift or money from a superior to an inferior)
- 负fùlook-alike(verb) to bear, to carry (a burden, responsibility, debt)
- 枚méilook-alike(classifier) for small, flat, or round objects (coins, rings, badges, medals, pearls, etc.)
Examples
- ，败。Zài jué sài zhōng, tā men bài gěi le duì shǒu.In the finals, they lost to their opponent.
- 。Tā chéng gōng jī bài le duì shǒu.He successfully defeated his opponent.
- 。Zhè cì shí yàn wán quán shī bài le.This experiment completely failed.
Appears in
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