辈 (bèi) — (bound form) generation; hierarchy within a family or social group (e.g. 长辈, 晚辈); (bound form) class or kind of people (e.g. 之辈, 故辈)
Definition
辈 is a bound noun meaning 'generation' or 'people of a certain kind' — used inside compounds like 长辈 (elders), 晚辈 (juniors), 前辈 (seniors), or 之辈 ('people such as…'). It never stands alone.
bound form
generationhierarchy within a family or social group (e.g. 长辈, 晚辈)class or kind of people (e.g. 之辈, 故辈)
Examples
- 。Wǒ de zhǎng bèi hěn guān xīn wǒ.My elders care about me a lot.
- 。Tā shì wǒ men gōng sī de qián bèi.He is a senior at our company.
- 。Tā huā le yí bèi zi shí jiān xué xí.He spent a lifetime studying.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 輩; 辈 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
車車jū
Sound part声符shēngfú
非
非fēi輩bèi
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 輩 pairs 車 (vehicle) with 非, which gives the sound; this describes 輩, not the simplified 辈.
Appears in
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