Meaning
负 is a versatile character with meanings centered around bearing weight or burden. Its core sense is 'to carry on one's back,' which extends metaphorically to responsibilities, debts, and negative states. In modern usage, it commonly appears in compounds related to负responsibility (responsibility), defeat (losing), and negative numbers or attitudes.
Usage
负 rarely stands alone in modern spoken Chinese; it typically appears in compound words. Common in formal and written contexts for expressing responsibility (负责), defeat (胜负), or negativity (负面). In mathematics and science, it indicates negative values (负数). The phrase 负责 is extremely common in everyday speech when discussing who is in charge of something.
Examples
- 01我负责这个项目的管理工作。.I'm responsible for managing this project.
- 02这场比赛我们队负了。.Our team lost this match.
Common collocations
- 负责to be responsible for
- 负担burden; to bear a burden
- 负面negative (side/aspect)
- 负数negative number
Antonyms
Origin
The traditional form 負 shows a person (人) with a shell (贝) on their back, depicting someone carrying a burden. This pictographic origin explains the core meaning of bearing weight or responsibility.