逆 nì to disobey
to disobey; to rebel; opposite; to go against
How to remember 逆: 辶 road + 屰 upside down = to disobey. His dad tells him to walk home properly along the road, so the teenager does it on his hands, upside down, just to disobey him.
Component breakdown
逆 = 辶 road + 屰 upside down
- 辶 road
- 屰 upside down
His dad tells him to walk home properly along the road, so the teenager does it on his hands, upside down, just to disobey him.
How it is used
- 'Against the natural/expected direction' - 逆流 (nìliú) against the current, 逆行 (nìxíng) to go the wrong way down a road, 逆境 (nìjìng) adversity.
- 逆 (going against) is the opposite of 顺 (shùn, going with/smoothly) - the 顺/逆 pair is the standard contrast, 顺风 (shùnfēng) a tailwind.
- 叛逆 (pànnì) is rebellion, e.g. 叛逆期 the rebellious phase of a teenager.
Words with 逆
Example sentences
- 他的性格很叛逆。 Tā de xìnggé hěn pànnì.He's very rebellious.