败 (bài) · to defeat; to beat

Meanings

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

Characters

败

bài

to defeat; to lose

Examples

HSK 4

我们队败了。

Wǒmen duì bài le.

Our team lost.

HSK 4

不要害怕失败。

Búyào hàipà shībài.

Don't be afraid of failure.

HSK 5

他在比赛中打败了对手。

Tā zài bǐsài zhōng dǎbài le duìshǒu.

He defeated his opponent in the match.

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).