TongTong
Sign in

败类 (bài lèi) — scum; degenerate (disparaging term for morally corrupt or worthless people)

Definition

noun
scumdegenerate (disparaging term for morally corrupt or worthless people)

Examples

  • 败类。
    Shè huì shàng nà xiē bài lèi zhēn ràng rén tǎo yàn.
    Those scum in society are really annoying.
  • 败类，。
    Tā shì wǒ men jiā zú de bài lèi, zuò le hěn duō bù kě yuán liàng de shì qing.
    He is the degenerate of our family, having done many unforgivable things.
  • 败类，。
    Dà jiā dōu shuō tā shì bài lèi, dàn wǒ hái shì yuàn yì gěi tā yí gè jī huì.
    Everyone says he's scum, but I'm still willing to give him a chance.

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bàibad
类lèiclass

败 conveys badness or ruin and 类 a class, together a bad sort of person.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 類; 类 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
犬犬quǎn
Sound part声符shēngfú
頪
頪lèi類lèi
Same sound today

The traditional form 類 pairs 犬, which relates to the meaning, with 頪, which gives the sound. The simplified 类 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 类 →
Appears in
People (General)

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