偏颇 (piān pō) — biased, partial, one-sided | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Formal written adjective meaning 'biased, one-sided' — typically used to criticize judgments, reports, or views as unfair. Pairs with 过于 / 显得, not with people directly.

adjective

biasedpartialone-sided

Examples

偏颇。
Nǐ de guān diǎn yǒu xiē piān pō.
Your view is somewhat biased.
偏颇，。
Zhè piān bào gào xiǎn de piān pō, bú gòu gōng zhèng.
This report seems partial and not fair enough.
偏颇，。
Tā de píng jià guò yú piān pō, hū lüè le qí tā fāng miàn.
His judgment is too one-sided, ignoring other aspects.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

颇pōtilted

偏颇 pairs 偏 and 颇, both carrying a sense of tilt or bias, giving a one-sided view.

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.

亻扁偏

Meaning part形符xíngfú

亻Written in full as人rén

Sound part声符shēngfú

扁

扁biǎn偏piān

Same sound today

偏 combines 亻 (人, a person) with 扁, which gives the sound.

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 頗; 颇 is its simplified writing.

皮頁頗

Meaning part形符xíngfú

頁頁yè

Sound part声符shēngfú

皮

皮pí頗pō

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 頗 pairs 皮 as a sound part with 頁 as a meaning part; the simplified 颇 is a later shorthand.

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