相悖 (xiāng bèi) — to be contrary to; to run counter to

Definition

verb

to be contrary toto run counter to

相悖。
Tā de xíng wéi yǔ tā de yán lùn xiāng bèi.
His actions run counter to his words.
相悖。
Zhè zhǒng zuò fǎ yǔ wǒ men de yuán zé xiāng bèi.
This practice is contrary to our principles.
相悖，。
Zhè liǎng gè guān diǎn wán quán xiāng bèi, wú fǎ tiáo hé.
These two viewpoints are completely opposite and cannot be reconciled.

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.

悖bèicontrary

The mutual and contrary senses combine to mean running counter to one another.

Characters in this word

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

木目相

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

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

忄孛悖

Meaning part形符xíngfú

忄Written in full as心xīn

Sound part声符shēngfú

孛

孛bèi悖⁰bèi

Same sound today

悖 pairs 忄, the side form of 心 meaning heart/mind, with 孛, which gives the sound bèi.

Appears in