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

Characters

败
bài
to defeat; to fail; to decay
Contains 贝 (shell/money), suggesting the loss of wealth — defeat as a kind of loss.

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。
Bú yào hàipà shībài.
Don't be afraid of failure.

Tips

usage
败 often appears in compounds: 失败 (shībài, to fail), 打败 (dǎbài, to defeat), 胜败 (shèngbài, 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'.

Stroke Order

败 bài