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辈子 (bèi zi) — a lifetime; the whole of one's life; (in rhetorical questions or exaggerations) an extremely long time; forever

Definition

Used almost only after 半, 一, 这, 那, 哪 to mean 'one's whole life' or, in rhetorical questions, 'forever'. 辈子 itself is not a standalone noun — it always rides on a preceding classifier/quantifier.

noun
a lifetimethe whole of one's life(in rhetorical questions or exaggerations) an extremely long timeforever

Examples

  • 辈子。
    Tā zhè bèi zi jīng lì le hěn duō kùn nan.
    He experienced many difficulties in his lifetime.
  • 。
    Tā huā le bàn bèi zi shí jiān xué xí hàn yǔ.
    He spent half his life learning Chinese.
  • 辈子？
    Děng dào nǎ bèi zi cái néng jiàn miàn a?
    When will we ever meet?

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

辈bèilifetime
子zǐ

The lifetime sense comes from 辈; 子 has no separate meaning here.

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 輩; 辈 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
車車jū
Sound part声符shēngfú
非
非fēi輩bèi
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 輩 pairs 車 (vehicle) with 非, which gives the sound; this describes 輩, not the simplified 辈.

Open 辈 →

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Open 子 →
Appears in
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