敗

Han character

敗 (Kangxi radical 66, 攴+7, 11 strokes, cangjie input 月金人大 (BCOK), four-corner 6884₀, composition ⿰貝攵)

Glyph origin

More information Historical forms of the character 敗, Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) ...

Historical forms of the character 敗
Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
Small seal script

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Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *praːds, *braːds): phonetic 貝 (OC *paːds) + semantic 攵 (“strike”).

Etymology

Possibly Sino-Tibetan. According to Zhang, Shuya, Jacques, Guillaume, Lai, Yunfan (2019), the modern meaning of the word originated from a semantic narrowing of its original sense "to break", thus making it cognate with Situ ka-prāt (“to break”) and also Japhug prɤt (“to break”).

Pronunciation

Definitions

敗

1. to lose (a game); to be defeated

   甲隊以一比二敗於乙隊。 [MSC, trad.]
   甲队以一比二败于乙队。 [MSC, simp.]

   Jiǎ duì yǐ yī bǐ èr bài yú yǐ duì. [Pinyin]

   (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   • 故善戰者，立于不敗之地，而不失敵之敗也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     故善战者，立于不败之地，而不失敌之败也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Art of War, circa 5^th century BCE

     Gù shànzhàn zhě, lì yú bùbài zhī dì, ér bùshī dí zhī bài yě. [Pinyin]

     Hence the skillful fighter puts himself into a position which makes defeat impossible, and does not miss the moment for defeating the enemy.

2. to fail

   成敗／成败  ―  chéngbài  ―  success or failure

3. (transitive) to defeat

   • 六月，壬戌，公敗宋師于菅。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     六月，壬戌，公败宋师于菅。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Liùyuè, rénxū, gōng bài Sòng shī yú Jiān. [Pinyin]

     In the sixth month, on [the day] Renxu, the duke defeated an army of Song at Jian.

   • 冬，與越人水戰，大敗越人，裂地而封之。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     冬，与越人水战，大败越人，裂地而封之。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Zhuangzi, circa 3^rd – 2^nd centuries BCE

     Dōng, yǔ Yuè rén shuǐzhàn, dàbài Yuè rén, liè dì ér fēng zhī. [Pinyin]

     In the winter he had an engagement with that of Yue, on which he inflicted a great defeat, and was invested with a portion of territory taken from Yue.

4. to tarnish; to ruin; to destroy

   敗家／败家  ―  bàijiā  ―  to squander a family fortune

   身敗名裂／身败名裂  ―  shēnbàimíngliè  ―  to have one's reputation destroyed

   傷風敗俗／伤风败俗  ―  shāngfēngbàisú  ―  to corrupt public morals

   • 若之何其以病，敗君之大事也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     若之何其以病，败君之大事也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE

     Ruòzhīhé qí yǐ bìng, bài jūn zhī dàshì yě. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

5. to wither and fall

   枯枝敗葉／枯枝败叶  ―  kūzhībàiyè  ―  withered branches and leaves

   菊花敗了。／菊花败了。  ―  Júhuā bài le.  ―  The chrysanthemums have withered.

6. dilapidated; worn-out; (of clothing) tattered

   敗絮／败絮  ―  bàixù  ―  worn cotton wool

7. to rot; rotten

   • 魚餒而肉敗不食。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     鱼馁而肉败不食。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Yú něi ér ròu bài bù shí. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

8. to remove; to get rid of

   敗火／败火  ―  bàihuǒ  ―  to relieve internal heat

Compounds

Descendants

• → Thai: พ่าย (pâai)

References

• “敗”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

Kanji

(Fourth grade kyōiku kanji)

Counter

敗(はい) • (-hai) 

1. losses

Compounds

• (lose a game): 敗北(はいぼく) (haiboku), 敗退(はいたい) (haitai), 敗軍(はいぐん) (haigun), 敗戦(はいせん) (haisen), 完敗(かんぱい) (kanpai), 大敗(たいはい) (taihai), 勝敗(しょうはい) (shōhai)
• (fail): 失敗(しっぱい) (shippai), 成敗(せいはい) (seihai), 腐敗(ふはい) (fuhai)

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 敗 (MC baejH|paejH).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [pʰɛ(ː)] ~ [pʰe̞(ː)]
• Phonetic hangul: [패(ː)/페(ː)]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Hanja

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

敗

Wikisource 敗 (eumhun 질 패 (jil pae))

1. hanja form^? of 패 (“defeat; loss”) [noun]

References

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

Han character

敗: Hán Nôm readings: bại, bậy

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