悖 (bèi): to go against

Meanings

1 to go against
2 to be contrary to
3 perverse; rebellious; confused

Characters

悖

bèi

to go against; contrary; perverse (single-character bound form with heart radical 忄)

Examples

这种行为悖于常理。

Zhèzhǒng xíngwéi bèi yú chánglǐ.

This behavior goes against common sense.

他的言论自相矛盾，令人感到悖谬。

Tā de yánlùn zìxiāngmáodùn, lìngrén gǎndào bèi miù.

His statements are self-contradictory and seem absurd.

Tips

usage

悖 is a formal/literary bound form that rarely appears alone. It combines into words like 悖论 (paradox), 悖谬 (absurd/irrational), and 违悖 (to violate/go against). In classical Chinese, it could mean confused or seditious.

Components

radical

忄 xīn

heart; mind (left-side radical form of 心)

Left heart radical — the side-form of 心. The indexing radical, marking 悖 as a mental/emotional verb. Specifically 'to go against, contradict, be perverse' — when reason in the heart turns inside-out. Same radical groups 悖 with 怕 (fear), 怀 (cherish), 恨 (hate), 怒 (anger) — the whole emotion family.

phonetic

孛 bèi

comet; thriving plant (here phonetic)

Right 孛 supplies the sound directly — bèi matches the whole reading. 孛 itself depicts a plant sprouting vigorously above 子 (child), source of 'rampant growth, comet's tail'. Same phonetic feeds 勃 (sudden, vigorous), 渤 (Bohai Sea), 脖 (neck). Faint semantic echo: a heart growing rebellious is one running wild like a comet, contradicting expectation.