Chinese word

败

Pronunciation

Pinyinbài

Meaning

  • verblose

Example

我们在比赛中被对手打败了。wǒ men zài bǐ sài zhōng bèi duì shǒu dǎ bài le

We were defeated by our opponents in the match.

Illustration for 败 (lose)

More examples

这次比赛我们打败了强大的对手。zhè cì bǐ sài wǒ men dǎ bài le qiáng dà de duì shǒu

In this match, we defeated a strong opponent.

Core concept

A winning position breaks down, leaving a person or undertaking unable to reach its goal.

Common phrases

  • 打败dǎ bài

    defeat

  • 被打败bèi dǎ bài

    be defeated

  • 失败shī bài

    fail

Similar words

输shū: Lose in a match or competition by getting a lower score or result.
打败dǎ bài: Overcome and defeat an opponent with force or clever tactics.
失败shī bài: Fail when a plan or action does not reach its goal.

Definition in Chinese

因对手优势或自身失误而未获胜，被打败；也用于表示计划、事业等遭到挫败或失败。yīn duì shǒu yōu shì huò zì shēn shī wù ér wèi huò shèng bèi dǎ bài yě yòng yú biǎo shì jì huà shì yè děng zāo dào cuò bài huò shī bài

Word origin

败 (bài, "lose") comes from 敗 (bài, "lose"), whose parts 攴 (pū, "strike") + 貝 (bèi, "shell or valuables") point to something valuable being damaged before the word broadened to defeat and failure.

Usage tips

  • The word covers both an opponent's victory and the collapse of a plan, so its subject can be a person, a team, or an undertaking rather than only a player in a contest.

Other meanings

  • defeatverb
  • failverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 失败shī bàifailverb
  • 胜败shèng bàiwin-loss outcomenoun
  • 失败者shī bài zhělosernoun

Word lists with this word