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相反 (xiāng fǎn) — (adjective) opposite, contrary; (conjunction) on the contrary, instead

Definition

相反 (xiāngfǎn) works as both an adjective ('opposite, contrary') and a conjunction ('on the contrary, instead') to contrast two things or ideas. Unlike 反而, it describes a relationship rather than an unexpected result.

adjective
oppositecontrary
conjunction
on the contraryinstead

Examples

  • 相反。
    Tā men de yì jiàn zhèng hǎo xiāng fǎn.
    Their opinions are exactly opposite.
  • 相反。
    Tā de xiǎng fǎ yǔ wǒ de wán quán xiāng fǎn.
    His idea is completely contrary to mine.
  • 相反，。
    xiāng fǎn, Wǒ jué de nǐ yīng gāi zǎo diǎn xiū xi.
    On the contrary, I think you should rest early.

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.

相xiāngmutual
反fǎnopposite

「相」 (mutual) and 「反」 (opposite) combine to mean being opposite to one another.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

In 相, 目 is an eye and 木 is a tree, showing an eye looking at a tree; this originally meant “to observe.”

Open 相 →

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
又又yòuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
厂
厂chǎng反fǎn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

反 uses 又 (hand) for meaning and 厂 for sound. Its original shape showed a hand turning its palm over, giving the sense of return or reverse.

Open 反 →

Grammar

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4HSK 2.0 Level 4Cause, Effect & Logic5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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