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违背 (wéi bèi) — to violate (a law, rule, agreement); to go against (someone's wishes, principles)

Definition

违背 covers both concrete breaches (laws, rules, contracts) and abstract defiances (wishes, conscience, principles). It is broader than 违反, which is more strictly tied to laws and regulations.

verb
to violate (a law, rule, agreement)to go against (someone's wishes, principles)

Examples

  • 违背。
    Tā yīn wéi bèi jiāo tōng guī zé bèi fá kuǎn le.
    He was fined for violating traffic rules.
  • 违背。
    Wǒ men bú yīng gāi wéi bèi zì jǐ de liáng xīn.
    We shouldn't go against our own conscience.
  • 违背。
    Rèn hé yī fāng dōu bù néng wéi bèi hé tong tiáo kuǎn.
    Neither party may violate the terms of the contract.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

违wéiviolate
背bèiturn against

违 and 背 both convey turning against or violating, together meaning to go against.

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 違; 违 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辶Written in full as辵chuò
Sound part声符shēngfú
韋
韋wéi違wéi
Same sound today

The traditional form 違 pairs 辶, which shows walking, with 韋 to give the sound. The simplified 违 is a later shorthand.

Open 违 →

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
月Written in full as肉ròumeat
Sound part声符shēngfú
北
北běi背bèi
Same sound today

背 was first written as 北; 北 gives the sound, and 肉 (meat, written as 月 here) was added to separate it from 北’s north meaning.

Open 背 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Law & Justice

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