Chinese word

辩

Pronunciation

Pinyinbiàn

Meaning

  • verbargue

Example

他们一直在为那件事争辩。tā men yì zhí zài wèi nà jiàn shì zhēng biàn

They have been arguing about that matter.

Illustration for 辩 (argue)

More examples

他在会上为同事辩护。tā zài huì shàng wèi tóng shì biàn hù

He defended his colleague at the meeting.

Core concept

Language sorts out opposing positions by giving reasons, either to support a view, challenge it, or protect someone.

Common phrases

  • 为...辩护wèi biàn hù

    defend ___

  • 在法庭上辩护zài fǎ tíng shàng biàn hù

    defend in court

  • 与对方辩论yǔ duì fāng biàn lùn

    debate with the other side

Similar words

辩论biàn lùn: Hold a structured discussion in which opposing sides argue their positions.
争论zhēng lùn: Exchange spoken arguments when people disagree and push their views against each other.
争辩zhēng biàn: Counter another person's opinion while firmly defending one's own view.
辩护biàn hù: Show why a person or action should not be blamed by presenting reasons or evidence.

Definition in Chinese

用语言提出理由以支持、反驳或维护某种观点的行为或过程，可指讨论、争辩或为某人辩护。yòng yǔ yán tí chū lǐ yóu yǐ zhī chí fǎn bó huò wéi hù móu zhǒng guān diǎn de xíng wéi huò guò chéng kě zhǐ tǎo lùn zhēng biàn huò wèi mǒu rén biàn hù

Word origin

The modern 辩 (biàn, "argue") shortens 辯 (biàn, "argue") by using 讠 (yán, "speech") for the traditional 言 (yán, "speech"), while 辡 (biàn, "dispute") remains the sound-bearing component.

Usage tips

  • The closest everyday English equivalent can sound quarrelsome, while this Chinese verb also suits calm discussion and defense, so the surrounding context shows the purpose.

Other meanings

  • justify oneselfverb
  • defendverb
  • debateverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word