必败 (bì bài) — will certainly be defeated; is doomed to lose

Definition

必败 (bìbài) means 'certain to be defeated / doomed to lose' — a written, formal verb emphasizing the inevitability of defeat, often used in military, political, or competitive contexts.

verb
will certainly be defeatedis doomed to lose

Examples

  • 必败。
    Zhè chǎng zhàn zhēng tā men bì bài.
    They are doomed to lose this war.
  • ，必败。
    Rú guǒ jì xù zhè yàng xià qù, gōng sī bì bài.
    If things continue like this, the company will certainly be defeated.
  • 必败。
    Lì shǐ shàng xǔ duō jiāo ào de jūn duì dōu bì bài.
    Many proud armies in history were doomed to defeat.

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.

必bìmust
败bàilose

必 means certainly and 败 means lose, together giving certain defeat.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 必 comes from the handle on the right side of a weapon, with two extra strokes added to its sides.

Open 必 →

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 敗; 败 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
攵Written in full as攴pūstrike
Sound part声符shēngfú
貝
貝bèi敗bài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 敗 has 貝 as the sound component and 攴 (written 攵) meaning strike. The simplified 败 is a later abbreviation, so its parts are not the original components.

Open 败 →

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