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逆 (nì) — to go against (in direction or trend); to reverse; to oppose; to defy; to betray

Definition

逆 (nì) as a verb is a single-character written/formal 'to go against, to oppose' — stronger and more literary than 反抗 or 抗拒. Paired with 背叛 contexts (父母意愿) and adverbial uses like 逆流, 逆风; not for everyday 'oppose' speech.

verb
to go against (in direction or trend)to reverseto opposeto defyto betray
Easily confused

Examples

  • ，。
    Tā nì fēng qí chē, qí dé hěn màn.
    He cycled against the wind and rode very slowly.
  • 逆。
    Nǐ bù néng zǒng shì nì cháo liú ér xíng.
    You can't always go against the trend.
  • 逆，。
    Tā nì le fù mǔ de yì yuàn, xuǎn zé le zì jǐ de lù.
    He went against his parents' wishes and chose his own path.

Origin

Compound ideograph
六书liùshū
会意huìyì

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 辶辵chuòmovement
  • 屰屰nìgo against

The 辶 part shows movement, and 屰 gives the sound and the sense of going against, so the whole depicts moving in the opposite direction.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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