p8nda
p8nda BETA
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败

敗
bài
verb HSK 4 #5,522

Meanings

  1. 1 to defeat; to beat
  2. 2 to lose (to an opponent); to fail
  3. 3 to decay; to wither

Examples

我们队败了。
Wǒmen duì bài le.
Our team lost.
他在比赛中打败了对手。
Tā zài bǐsài zhōng dǎbài le duìshǒu.
He defeated his opponent in the match.
不要害怕失败。
Búyào hàipà shībài.
Don't be afraid of failure.

Tips

usage
败 often appears in compounds: 失败 (to fail), 打败 (to defeat), 胜败 (victory and defeat). On its own, 败 usually means 'to lose'.
history
The traditional character 敗 contains 贝 (shell/money) — in ancient China, defeat often meant loss of treasure. The right side 攵 means 'to strike'.

Components

radical
贝 bèi
shell; cowrie; money
Left indexing radical 贝 (cowrie) — ancient currency. Defeat in early China meant losing your shells/treasure, hence 贝 carries the 'loss' weight in 败. The same radical groups all wealth/transaction characters: 财 (riches), 购 (buy), 贵 (expensive). Simplified from 貝.
semantic
攵 pū
tap; strike (radical form of 攴)
Right-side 攵 (also 攴) is a hand holding a stick — a striking action. Combined with 贝 it gives the picture of treasure being smashed, hence 'defeat, ruin'. The same striking radical drives 改 (change), 教 (teach), 故 (reason).

Stroke Order

败 bài