叛徒 (pàn tú) — traitor, renegade, turncoat

Definition

noun

traitorrenegadeturncoat

Measure word · 个

叛徒。
Tā shì guó jiā de pàn tú.
He is a traitor to the country.
叛徒。
pàn tú Shòu dào le chéng fá.
The traitor was punished.
叛徒。
Méi rén yuàn yì hé pàn tú zuò péng you.
No one wants to be friends with a traitor.

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.

叛 carries the idea of betrayal, and 徒 points to a person, giving the sense of someone who betrays.

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.

半反叛

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

半

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

叛 pairs 反 as its meaning part with 半 as its sound part.

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

辵辵chuòwalk

Sound part声符shēngfú

土

Same sound today

徒 originally paired 辵, a walking sign, with 土 to show its sound. The shape later changed into 彳 and 走.

Appears in