抱不平 (bào bù píng) — to be outraged by an injustice (done to someone else); to feel indignant on another's behalf

Definition

A fixed expression meaning to feel indignant on someone else's behalf — the anger is directed at an injustice done to another person, not to oneself. It often pairs with 打 (打抱不平) to mean 'to champion the underdog'.

verb
to be outraged by an injustice (done to someone else)to feel indignant on another's behalf

Examples

  • ，。
    Tā kàn jiàn yǒu rén qī fu lǎo rén, rěn bú zhù dǎ bào bù píng.
    He couldn't help stepping in when he saw someone bullying an elderly person.
  • 抱不平，。
    Tóng shì men wèi tā zāo dào de dài yù gǎn dào bào bù píng, fēn fēn shēng yuán.
    Her colleagues felt outraged by the way she was treated and voiced their support.
  • 。
    Zhè bù xiǎo shuō miáo xiě le yí gè ài dǎ bào bù píng de xiá kè.
    This novel depicts a chivalrous swordsman who loves to defend the oppressed.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

抱bàoembrace
不平unfairness
不bùnot平píngfair
偏正Modifier + head

Embracing what is not fair expresses anger at injustice.

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
扌Written in full as手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
包
包bāo抱
Same sound today

抱 pairs 扌 (hand) with 包; the hand part shows holding, while 包 supplies the sound and the sense of wrapping.

Open 抱 →

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.

The origin is uncertain. One explanation combines 八 (division) and 亏 (exhaled air) to show smooth speech.

Open 平 →

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