上辈子 (shàng bèi zi) — previous life (in reincarnation); ancestors, pr…

Definition

Refers to a past life (in reincarnation) or earlier generations of one's family. Pair with 这辈子 / 下辈子 to frame a lifetime contrast.

noun

previous life (in reincarnation)ancestorsprevious generations

上辈子，。
Yǒu rén shuō tā shàng bèi zi zuò le hěn duō hǎo shì, suǒ yǐ zhè bèi zi hěn xìng fú.
Some say she did a lot of good deeds in her past life, so this life is very happy.
上辈子。
Zhè xiē chuán tǒng dōu shì shàng bèi zi liú chuán xià lái de.
These traditions have been passed down from previous generations.
上辈子？？
Wǒ shàng bèi zi qiàn nǐ de ma? zěn me tiān tiān zhǎo wǒ má fan?
Did I owe you in a past life? Why do you keep causing me trouble?

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.

辈子life

辈bèigeneration子zǐsuffix

后缀Suffix

上 means earlier, and 辈子 means a life or generation; together they point to a previous life.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

上 is drawn as a short horizontal line placed above a longer arc, marking a position above that arc.

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.

車非輩

Meaning part形符xíngfú

車車jū

Sound part声符shēngfú

非

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.

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.

Appears in