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背地里 (bèi dì lǐ) — behind someone's back; privately, secretly

Definition

'Behind someone's back' — doing something secretly or privately, usually with a negative sense like gossip or unfair decisions. Always precedes the verb.

adverb
behind someone's backprivatelysecretly

Examples

  • 背地里。
    Tā zǒng xǐ huan zài bèi dì lǐ shuō bié rén de huài huà.
    He always likes to speak ill of others behind their backs.
  • 背地里，。
    Zhè jiàn shì wǒ men bèi dì lǐ tǎo lùn guò le, zàn shí bú yào gōng kāi.
    We discussed this matter privately; let's not make it public for now.
  • 背地里，。
    bèi dì lǐ Zuò jué dìng shì bù gōng píng de, yīng gāi ràng dà jiā cān yù.
    Making decisions behind people's backs is unfair; everyone should be allowed to participate.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

背地back place
背bèiback地dìplace
偏正Modifier + head
里lǐsuffix

背 (back) and 地 (place) plus 里 give the sense of behind the back, i.e. privately.

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
月Written in full as肉ròumeat
Sound part声符shēngfú
北
北běi背bèi
Same sound today

背 was first written as 北; 北 gives the sound, and 肉 (meat, written as 月 here) was added to separate it from 北’s north meaning.

Open 背 →

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
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
也
也yě地dì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

地 is built from 土 (earth) and 也, which gives its sound.

Open 地 →

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 裡; 里 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 里 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (里, 里面) it is 裡; in others (公里) it is 里 or 裏.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
衤Written in full as衣yīclothes
Sound part声符shēngfú
里
里lǐ裡lǐ
Same sound today

The form 裡 pairs 衤 (clothes) with 里 as a sound component.

Open 里 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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