败局 (bài jú) — lost game; losing battle; situation of defeat

Definition

noun
lost gamelosing battlesituation of defeat

Examples

  • 败局。
    Zhè chǎng bǐ sài yǐ jīng chéng le bài jú.
    This match has already become a lost game.
  • 败局，。
    Miàn duì bài jú, tā méi yǒu fàng qì.
    Facing a losing battle, he did not give up.
  • 败局。
    Gōng sī de bài jú zǎo yǐ zhù dìng.
    The company's defeat was already destined.

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.

败bàidefeat
局júsituation

败 means defeat, and 局 means situation or game, giving a lost game or battle.

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 →

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
尸尸shī
Sound part声符shēngfú
句
句jù局jú
Same sound today

The shape of 局 pairs 尸, a meaning part, with 句, a sound part.

Open 局 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.