悖 meaning and stroke order
Contradictory; counter to
How to write 悖, stroke by stroke
10 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
Meaning of 悖
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to go against
- to be contrary to
- perverse
- rebellious
- old variant of 悖[bei4]
How 悖 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Heart.
忄 gives the meaning and 孛 hints at the sound.
Radical: 忄 (heart), shared by 167 characters on this site.
How to remember 悖
悖 combines the heart radical 忄 with 孛 (bèi), which gives the sound. Picture a heart that turns against what it should do, so the mind goes contrary and rebellious.
悖 is a formal, written character. You mostly meet it in set words like 悖论 (bèilùn, paradox) and 违悖 (wéibèi, to violate), or in the phrase 并行不悖 (bìng xíng bù bèi, to run side by side without conflict). Example: 这是一个有名的悖论。(Zhè shì yí gè yǒumíng de bèilùn.) This is a famous paradox.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 悖 with 勃 (bó, vigorous), which shares the 孛 part but has 力 on the right and a different sound and tone. Remember that 悖 with the heart radical is fourth tone bèi, like 背 (bèi, to go against).
Common words with 悖
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 悖论 | bèilùn | paradox (logic) |
悖 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 悖
How many strokes are in 悖?
悖 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 悖 mean?
悖 (bèi) means contradictory; counter to. A common word with it is 悖论 (bèilùn), meaning "paradox (logic)".
How do you pronounce 悖?
悖 is pronounced bèi, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 悖?
The radical of 悖 is 忄, which carries the idea of "heart". Dictionaries list 悖 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 悖?
The traditional form of 悖 is 誖. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 悖 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
What does 并行不悖 mean?
It is a four-character idiom meaning two things can exist or be done at the same time without contradicting each other. For example, 两种方法可以并行不悖 means the two methods can be used side by side without conflict.
Is 悖 used in everyday speech?
Not often by itself. In casual speech people say 矛盾 (máodùn) for contradictory or 违反 (wéifǎn) for go against, while 悖 shows up in formal writing and in the word 悖论.