Chinese word

背着

Pronunciation

Pinyinbēi zhe

Meaning

  • verbcarry on one's back

Example

我今天早上背着大包去上班。wǒ jīn tiān zǎo shàng bēi zhe dà bāo qù shàng bān

I went to work this morning carrying a big bag on my back.

Illustration for 背着 (carry on one's back)

More examples

他已经不想再背着包袱生活了。tā yǐ jīng bù xiǎng zài bèi zhe bāo fú shēng huó le

He no longer wants to live carrying a burden.

Core concept

A load stays supported on the back or shoulders, extending to an action kept behind another person's back.

Common phrases

  • 背着包袱bèi zhe bāo fú

    carry a burden

  • 背着债务bèi zhe zhài wù

    carry debt

Similar words

背bèi: Carrying an item on the back.
扛káng: Carrying a heavy item by supporting it on the shoulder or with the hands.
背负bēi fù: Bearing responsibility or an emotional burden.
瞒mán: Keeping the truth or facts hidden from someone.

Definition in Chinese

指背部或肩膀承担并带着东西，强调持续的背负状态；口语中可表示在他人不知情的情况下持续做某事。zhǐ bèi bù huò jiān bǎng chéng dān bìng dài zhe dōng xī qiáng diào chí xù de bēi fù zhuàng tài kóu yǔ zhōng kě biǎo shì zài tā rén bù zhī qíng de qíng kuàng xià chí xù zuò mǒu shì

Word origin

背 (bēi, "carry on the back") combines with 着 (zhe, "ongoing state") to mark a continuing load-bearing position, while 背 (bèi, "back") gives the related sense of being behind someone.

Usage tips

  • English often uses "secretly" as a broad adverb, but this Chinese form can indicate that an action is hidden from a particular person, so the surrounding context matters.

Other meanings

  • secretlyadverb
  • shoulderverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word