Meaning of 辈
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- lifetime
- generation
- group of people
- class
- classifier for generations
- (literary) classifier for people
How to use 辈
辈 rarely stands alone in modern speech. It mostly appears in words about generations and seniority, such as 长辈 (zhǎngbèi) and 前辈 (qiánbèi), and in 一辈子 (yībèizi) for a whole lifetime. Example: 我一辈子都不会忘记你。(Wǒ yībèizi dōu bú huì wàngjì nǐ.) I will never forget you as long as I live.
辈 is made of 非 (fēi) on top of 车 (chē, vehicle). Picture rows of carts lined up one behind another, like generations following each other in order.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 辈 (bèi) with 悲 (bēi, sad), which also has 非 on top but has 心 below and a first tone. Also note that in 一辈子 the 子 is light: say yībèizi, not yībèizǐ.
辈 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.
辈 bèi · lifetime · 12 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 辈.
Questions about 辈
What does 辈 mean?
辈 (bèi) means "lifetime; generation" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 辈?
辈 is made of 1 character: 辈 (12 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 辈 an HSK word?
Yes. 辈 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 辈 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 辈 is written 輩.
What is the difference between 前辈 and 长辈?
长辈 (zhǎngbèi) means elders in your family or an older generation, like parents and grandparents. 前辈 (qiánbèi) means someone senior to you in a field, school, or workplace, even if they are not much older.
How do I say someone is from my generation?
You can say 同辈 (tóngbèi) or 平辈 (píngbèi), meaning the same generation. For example, cousins are usually 平辈 to each other.