狈 bèi a legendary wolf
a legendary wolf; wretched
How to remember 狈: 犭 dog + 贝 sea shell = a legendary wolf. Grandpa's old dog howls at the moon as he holds up a sea shell charm and tells the kids about a legendary wolf.
Component breakdown
狈 = 犭 dog + 贝 sea shell
- 犭 dog
- 贝 sea shell
Grandpa's old dog howls at the moon as he holds up a sea shell charm and tells the kids about a legendary wolf.
How it is used
- A legendary wolf-like beast, occurring only in 狼狈 (lángbèi): in a sorry/awkward plight - 狼狈不堪 (lángbèi-bùkān) in an utterly wretched, dishevelled state.
- 狼狈为奸 (lángbèi-wéijiān) means to collude/gang up for evil.