背着 meaning in English
turning one's back to (sth or sb); keeping sth secret from (sb)
Meaning of 背着
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- turning one's back to (sth or sb)
- keeping sth secret from (sb)
- keeping (one's hands) behind one's back
- carrying on one's back
How to use 背着
As bèizhe, it often means doing something behind someone's back or keeping a secret from them, usually in the pattern 背着 + person + verb. As bēizhe, it means carrying something on your back. Example: 他背着父母去旅行了。(Tā bèizhe fùmǔ qù lǚxíng le.) He went traveling without telling his parents.
背 (bèi) means the back, and 着 (zhe) shows an ongoing state. Put them together and you get "with the back turned" or "with something on the back", like a person standing still with their back to you.
Common mistake: Learners often read every 背着 as bèizhe, but when it means physically carrying something, like 背着书包 (bēizhe shūbāo, carrying a backpack), the tone is first tone bē. Also, the 着 here is neutral tone zhe, not zháo as in 睡着 (shuìzháo) or 着急 (zháojí).
背着 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.
背 bèi · the back of a body or object · 9 strokes
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着 zhe · aspect particle indicating action in pr… · 11 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 背着.
| 接着 | jiēzhe | to catch and hold on; to continue |
| 背后 | bèihòu | behind; at the back |
| 睡着 | shuìzháo | to fall asleep |
| 背景 | bèijǐng | background; backdrop; context; (fig.) powerful backer |
| 着火 | zháohuǒ | to catch fire |
| 着急 | zháojí | to worry; to feel anxious; to feel a sense of urgency; to be in a hurry |
| 意味着 | yìwèizhe | to signify; to mean |
| 随着 | suízhe | along with; in the wake of |
| 有着 | yǒuzhe | to have; to possess |
| 用不着 | yòngbuzháo | not need; have no use for |
| 背包 | bēibāo | knapsack; rucksack |
| 沿着 | yánzhe | to go along; to follow |
Questions about 背着
What does 背着 mean?
背着 (bèizhe) means "turning one's back to (sth or sb); keeping sth secret from (sb)".
How do you write 背着?
背着 is made of 2 characters: 背 (9 strokes), 着 (11 strokes). That is 20 strokes in total.
Is 背着 an HSK word?
Yes. 背着 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 背着 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 背着 is written 背著.
What is the difference between 背着 and 瞒着?
Both can mean keeping something from someone. 瞒着 (mánzhe) focuses on hiding the truth, while 背着 suggests acting behind someone's back without their knowledge. In many sentences, like 背着妈妈 and 瞒着妈妈, they are interchangeable.
How do I say "with my hands behind my back" in Chinese?
You can say 背着手 (bèizhe shǒu), which describes the posture of keeping your hands clasped behind you. For example, 老人背着手散步。(Lǎorén bèizhe shǒu sànbù.) The old man takes a walk with his hands behind his back.