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逃兵 (táo bīng) — army deserter

Definition

Literally 'fleeing soldier,' now used figuratively to call out anyone who abandons a group or cause in a hard moment (a project, a team, a relationship). Strongly negative, like branding someone a 'deserter.'

noun
army deserter
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • ，逃兵。
    Tā yīn wèi zài zhàn chǎng shàng táo pǎo, bèi rèn dìng wèi táo bīng.
    He was identified as a deserter because he fled on the battlefield.
  • ，逃兵，。
    Gōng sī zài zuì kùn nan de shí hou, tā dāng le táo bīng, cí zhí zǒu le.
    At the company's toughest time, he became a deserter and resigned.
  • 逃兵，。
    Miàn duì kùn nan bú yào zuò táo bīng, dà jiā yì qǐ jiān chí.
    Don't be a deserter when facing difficulties; let's persist together.

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.

逃táoflee
兵bīngsoldier

"逃" describes fleeing and "兵" means soldier, so it is a soldier who flees.

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
辶Written in full as辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
兆
兆zhào逃táo
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

逃 pairs 辶 (walk) with 兆, which gives the pronunciation.

Open 逃 →

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

  • 斤斤jīna short axe
  • 廾廾gǒng2 hands

兵 combines 斤, a short axe, with 廾, two hands, showing a pair of hands holding a weapon.

Open 兵 →
Appears in
Military & Defense

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