Chinese word

背对

Pronunciation

Pinyinbèi duì

Meaning

  • verbhave one's back to

Example

他总是背对我。tā zǒng shì bèi duì wǒ

He always has his back to me.

Illustration for 背对 (have one's back to)

More examples

孩子生气了，背对着妈妈站着。hái zi shēng qì le bèi duì zhe mā mā zhàn zhe

The child got angry and stood with his back to his mother.

Core concept

The body turns so that its back faces another person rather than its front.

Common phrases

  • 背对我bèi duì wǒ

    have one's back to me

  • 背对着门bèi duì zhe mén

    have one's back to the door

  • 背对墙bèi duì qiáng

    have one's back to the wall

Similar words

转过身zhuǎn guò shēn: Turn the body around to face backward or in another direction.
无视wú shì: Pretend not to notice someone or what they say and avoid engaging with them.

Definition in Chinese

身体或头部转向相反方向，使背部朝着对方，既可指一时动作，也可表示持续状态（常与“着”连用）。shēn tǐ huò tóu bù zhuǎn xiàng xiāng fǎn fāng xiàng shǐ bèi bù cháo zhe duì fāng jì kě zhǐ yì shí dòng zuò yě kě biǎo shì chí xù zhuàng tài cháng yǔ zhe lián yòng

Word origin

背 (bèi, "back") supplies the body part, while 对 (duì, "face or be toward") marks the direction, creating a compound about the back facing another person.

Usage tips

  • An ongoing posture is often marked explicitly in Chinese, whereas the bare verb can present the turning as a single action, which helps distinguish a sustained position from a momentary change.

Opposites

Word lists with this word