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不配 (bú pèi) — to be unworthy of; to not deserve (based on ability, character, or status); to not match; to be ill-suited (for pairs, couples, or things that don't go together)

Definition

不配 says two things don't fit together — either a person lacks the merit/status to deserve something, or two things (a couple, furniture, styles) don't match. 配 alone means 'to match / deserve' as a positive.

adjective
to be unworthy ofto not deserve (based on ability, character, or status)to not matchto be ill-suited (for pairs, couples, or things that don't go together)

Examples

  • 不配。
    Tā jué de zì jǐ bú pèi dé dào zhè fèn jiǎng lì.
    He feels that he doesn't deserve this reward.
  • 不配。
    Zhè tào shā fā hé kè tīng de fēng gé bú pèi.
    This set of sofas doesn't match the living room style.
  • ，，不配。
    Zuò wéi lǐng dǎo, tā tài zì sī liǎo, gēn běn bú pèi zhè ge zhí wèi.
    As a leader, he is too selfish and is completely unworthy of this position.

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.

不bùnot
配pèimatch

不 'not' and 配 'match' together mean unworthy or ill-suited.

Characters in this word

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

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

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

  • 酉酉yǒualcohol vessel
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

配 is formed by putting 酉, an alcohol vessel, next to 卩, a kneeling person. The reference gives these two parts, but not the reason they combine.

Open 配 →
Appears in
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