輩 meaning and stroke order
Generation, lifetime; contemporary
How to write 輩, stroke by stroke
15 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
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- 15
Meaning of 輩
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- lifetime
- generation
- group of people
- class
- classifier for generations
- (literary) classifier for people
How 輩 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Wheel.
車 gives the meaning and 非 hints at the sound.
Radical: 車 (cart), shared by 49 characters on this site.
How to remember 輩
輩 is built from 非 (fēi) on top and 車 (chē, cart) below. 非 gives the sound, and 車 hints at carts lined up in rows, like people lined up in ranks of generations.
輩 (simplified 辈) usually appears inside words about generations and lifetimes, such as 长辈 (zhǎngbèi, elders), 前辈 (qiánbèi, senior) and 一辈子 (yībèizi, a whole lifetime). Example: 我一辈子都不会忘记。 (Wǒ yībèizi dōu bú huì wàngjì.) I will never forget it for my whole life.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes read 輩 as fēi because of the 非 on top, but the correct sound is bèi with a falling fourth tone. Also do not confuse it with 背 (bèi, back), which sounds the same but has 月 at the bottom.
Common words with 輩
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一輩子 | yībèizi | (for) a lifetime | HSK 5 |
| 前輩 | qiánbèi | senior; older generation | HSK 7-9 |
| 長輩 | zhǎngbèi | one's elders; older generation | HSK 7-9 |
| 半輩子 | bànbèizi | half of a lifetime | |
| 下輩子 | xiàbèizi | the next life | |
| 後輩 | hòubèi | younger generation | |
| 鼠輩 | shǔbèi | a scoundrel; a bad chap | |
| 父輩 | fùbèi | people of one's parents' generation | |
| 上輩子 | shàngbèizi | one's ancestors; past generations |
Questions about 輩
How many strokes are in 輩?
輩 is written with 15 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 輩 mean?
輩 (bèi) means generation, lifetime; contemporary. A common word with it is 一辈子 (yībèizi), meaning "(for) a lifetime".
How do you pronounce 輩?
輩 is pronounced bèi, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 輩?
The radical of 輩 is 車, which carries the idea of "cart". Dictionaries list 輩 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 輩?
輩 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 辈, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 前辈 and 长辈?
长辈 (zhǎngbèi) means elders by family or age, like parents and grandparents. 前辈 (qiánbèi) means someone senior to you in a field, school or workplace, and is used as a respectful title.
Why is there a 子 in 一辈子?
子 (zi) here is a neutral-tone noun suffix, so 辈子 means a lifetime. You also see it in 下辈子 (xiàbèizi, next life) and 半辈子 (bànbèizi, half a lifetime).