批斗 (pī dòu) — to publicly criticize and denounce (esp. during the Cultural Revolution)

Definition

A politically loaded verb for large-scale public denunciation, strongly associated with the Cultural Revolution. It implies a collective, often coercive gathering rather than ordinary criticism (which would be 批评).

verb
to publicly criticize and denounce (esp. during the Cultural Revolution)

Examples

  • ，批斗。
    Nà ge nián dài, hěn duō zhī shi fèn zǐ bèi lā shàng tái pī dòu.
    In that era, many intellectuals were dragged onto the stage to be publicly denounced.
  • 批斗。
    Tā zài wén gé qī jiān bèi pī dòu guò hǎo jǐ cì.
    He was publicly denounced several times during the Cultural Revolution.
  • 批斗。
    Zhè zhǒng pī dòu dà huì ràng zhěng gè cūn zi dōu rén xīn huáng huáng.
    This kind of mass denunciation meeting made the whole village anxious and fearful.

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.

批pīcriticize
斗dòustruggle

批 (criticize) and 斗 (struggle) combine to mean public criticism and struggle sessions.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
比
比bǐ批pī
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

批 puts 手 (hand) beside 比, which gives the sound.

Open 批 →

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

The shape of 斗 originally showed a ladle-shaped dipper or cup used to measure grain, held in a hand.

Open 斗 →

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