败北 (bài běi) — to suffer defeat (formal/literary)

Definition

Literary/formal idiom for 'to suffer defeat,' used in writing or formal speech rather than everyday conversation. Stronger and more dignified than the plain verbs 失败 or 输.

idiom
to suffer defeat (formal/literary)

Examples

  • 败北。
    Tā zài bǐ sài zhōng bài běi le.
    He suffered defeat in the competition.
  • 败北。
    Lì shǐ shàng zhè zhī jūn duì cóng wèi bài běi guò.
    Historically, this army has never suffered defeat.
  • ，败北。
    Miàn duì qiáng dí, tā men zuì zhōng bài běi.
    Facing a strong enemy, they ultimately suffered defeat.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

败bàidefeat
北běiturn back

败 (defeat) and 北 (turning back) together express being defeated and forced to retreat.

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.

The form 北 shows two people standing back to back. It originally meant 'back'.

Open 北 →

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