Meaning
败 means to be defeated, to fail, or to lose in a competition, battle, or endeavor. It can also mean to decay or spoil (like food going bad). The character conveys the sense of not succeeding or deteriorating from a previous state.
Usage
This word is commonly used in contexts involving competition, conflict, or deterioration. It appears frequently in compound words related to failure or defeat. In spoken Chinese, it's often paired with other characters to form specific meanings like 失败 (to fail) or 打败 (to defeat someone). The single character 败 alone is more literary but still widely understood.
Examples
- 01我们队在决赛中败给了对手。.Our team was defeated by the opponent in the finals.
- 02这些水果已经败了，不能吃了。, .These fruits have already spoiled and cannot be eaten.
Common collocations
- 失败to fail, failure
- 打败to defeat
- 战败to be defeated in battle
- 败坏to ruin, to corrupt
Antonyms
Origin
The traditional form 敗 is a phono-semantic compound. The left radical 贝 (shell, money) suggests value or loss, while the right component 攵 (tap, strike) indicates action. The meaning evolved to represent the loss or destruction that comes from defeat.