Meaning of 挨
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to suffer; to endure
- to pull through (hard times)
- to delay; to stall; to play for time; to dawdle
- in order; in sequence
- close to; adjacent to
How to use 挨
Read as ái, it means to suffer something unpleasant, often in set phrases like 挨打 (áidǎ, to take a beating) and 挨饿 (ái'è, to go hungry). Read as āi, it means next to or one by one, as in 挨着 (āizhe) and 挨家挨户 (āijiā-āihù). Example: 他小时候常常挨饿。 (Tā xiǎoshíhou chángcháng ái'è.) He often went hungry as a child.
挨 has the hand radical 扌 on the left, so picture a hand that has to take whatever comes, like a slap or a hard time. With āi, the same hand reaches out to touch the person right next to you.
Common mistake: Learners often use one tone for every word. It is ái (second tone) for suffering, as in 挨打, and āi (first tone) for closeness or order, as in 挨着. Do not confuse 挨 with 埃 (āi, dust), which has the earth radical 土 instead of the hand.
挨 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
挨 ái · to suffer · 10 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 挨.
Questions about 挨
What does 挨 mean?
挨 (ái) means "to suffer; to endure; to pull through (hard times)" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 挨?
挨 is made of 1 character: 挨 (10 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 挨 an HSK word?
Yes. 挨 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do I know whether to read 挨 as ái or āi?
Look at the meaning. If someone is enduring something bad, like a beating, criticism, or hunger, read it ái. If it is about being next to something or going in order, read it āi.
Can 挨 be used like a passive marker?
Yes, in a way. 挨 plus a negative noun or verb shows that the subject received something unpleasant, for example 挨骂 (áimà, to get scolded) or 挨批评 (ái pīpíng, to be criticized). It works like 被 (bèi) but only for bad experiences.