败兴 (bài xìng) — disappointed; to have one's mood spoiled

Definition

Literary adjective meaning 'disappointed' or 'in a spoiled mood'. Use after a letdown (a bad trip, bad news). Functions like 失望 but in a more written, expressive register.

adjective
disappointedto have one's mood spoiled

Examples

  • 败兴。
    Zhè cì lǚ xíng zhēn ràng rén bài xìng.
    This trip was really disappointing.
  • ，败兴。
    Tīng dào nà ge huài xiāo xi, tā shí fēn bài xìng.
    Hearing that bad news, he was very disappointed.
  • 败兴，。
    Dà jiā bié bài xìng le, jì xù wán ba.
    Don't be disappointed, everyone, let's keep playing.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

败bàispoil
兴xīngmood

败 means spoil and 兴 means mood, giving the sense of having one's mood spoiled.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 敗; 败 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
攵Written in full as攴pūstrike
Sound part声符shēngfú
貝
貝bèi敗bài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 敗 has 貝 as the sound component and 攴 (written 攵) meaning strike. The simplified 败 is a later abbreviation, so its parts are not the original components.

Open 败 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 興; 兴 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 興 shows four hands lifting an object; the simplified 兴 is not the form described.

Open 兴 →

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