Meaning
偏 describes something that deviates from the center or norm. It can mean physically leaning or tilted, being unfair or biased, or stubbornly doing something contrary to expectation or advice. As an adverb, it often expresses that someone insists on doing the opposite of what's reasonable or expected.
Usage
偏 is commonly used in everyday speech to express bias (偏见 'prejudice') or stubbornness (偏要 'insist on'). When used adverbially before a verb, it conveys contrariness or deliberate opposition to what's suggested. Native speakers frequently use 偏偏 (doubled form) for emphasis meaning 'just have to' or 'of all times/things'.
Examples
- 01我叫他别去，他偏要去。, .I told him not to go, but he insisted on going.
- 02这位老师对学生很偏心。.This teacher is very biased toward certain students.
Common collocations
- 偏要insist on (doing something)
- 偏心to be partial, to favor one over another
- 偏远remote, far from center
- 偏僻out-of-the-way, remote
Antonyms
Origin
The character combines the person radical 亻and 扁 (flat, thin), originally suggesting a person leaning to one side rather than standing upright and balanced.