叛 (pàn): to betray, to rebel, to revolt
叛 (pàn) is a Chinese character meaning “to betray.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 半 (phonetic) and 反 (semantic). It ranks #1762 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 叛 contrary. Its radical form 又 (again) appears in many related characters such as 友 (yǒu, friend), 又 (yòu, (once) again), 发 (fā, to send out).
Definitions
- to betray
- to rebel
- to revolt
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 叛 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 背叛verb | bèi pàn | to betray |
| 叛徒noun | pàn tú | traitor |
| 叛军noun | pàn jūn | rebel army |
| 叛国verb | pàn guó | treason |
| 叛变verb | pàn biàn | to defect |
| 叛逆verb | pàn nì | to rebel |
| 反叛verb | fǎn pàn | to rebel |
| 叛乱verb | pàn luàn | armed rebellion |
| 叛国罪noun | pàn guó zuì | the crime of treason |
| 叛逃verb | pàn táo | to defect |
| 离经叛道phrase | lí jīng pàn dào | to rebel against orthodoxy |
| 叛离verb | pàn lí | to betray |
| 叛党verb | pàn dǎng | to betray one's party |
| 平叛verb | píng pàn | to put down a revolt |
| 叛贼noun | pàn zéi | renegade |
叛 appears in 25 compound words: 64 as the first character, 16 as the last, and 20 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 叛 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (3)
to deviate from the Confucian classics or the orthodoxy; to deviate from the mainstream thought or norms
to recruit surrendered enemy and deserters (idiom); to gather together a gang of villains
to deviate from the Confucian classics or the orthodoxy; to deviate from the mainstream thought or norms
to recruit surrendered enemy and deserters (idiom); to gather together a gang of villains
Example Sentences
了解叛字的来源，有助于理解中国文化。
le xiè pàn zì de lái yuán , yǒu zhù yú lǐ xiè zhōng guó wén huā .
Understanding the origin of the character for "rebellion" helps to comprehend Chinese culture.
美伊冲突扩大 叶门叛军参战飞弹袭击以色列 红海航道也告急
měi yī chōng tū kuò dà xié mén pàn jūn cān zhàn fēi dàn xí jī yǐ sè liè hóng hǎi háng dào yě gào jí
U.S.-Iran Tensions Escalate; Yemeni Rebels Join the Fray with Missile Attacks on Israel; Red Sea Shipping Lanes Also Under Threat
...废遇上永续 DIESEL 2026秋冬的叛逆衣橱呈现派对后凌乱美学
. . . fèi yù shàng yǒng xù D I E S E L 2 0 2 6 qiū dōng de pàn nì yī chú chéng xiàn pài duì hòu líng luàn měi xué
... Waste meets perpetual DIESEL's rebellious wardrobe for Fall/Winter 2026 presents a post-party messy aesthetic
...世贤的父亲,在228将枪枝带离派出所背上叛变罪。
. . . shì xián de fù qīn , zài 2 2 8 jiāng qiāng zhī dài lí pài chū suǒ bèi shàng pàn biàn zuì .
... Shixian's father was guilty of treason by taking the gun out of the police station in 228.
张若昀揭年少叛逆史:翘家15天 带领“放牛班鲁蛇”逆袭
zhāng ruò 昀 jiē nián shǎo pàn nì shǐ : qiáo jiā 1 5 tiān dài lǐng fàng niú bān lǔ shé nì xí
Zhang Ruoyun revealed the history of youth rebellion: Qiaojia for 15 days led the counterattack of the "Cattle Herding Banlu Snake"
...|保守党高层:国会应对安德鲁、文德森展开叛国罪调查
. . . bǎo shǒu dǎng gāo céng : guó huì yīng duì ān dé lǔ , wén dé sēn zhǎn kāi pàn guó zuì diào chá
...| Conservative Party officials: Congress should launch an investigation into Andrew and Wenderson for treason
反叛者践踏敌人的旗帜，以示挑衅。
Fǎnpàn zhě jiàntà dírén de qízhì, yǐ shì tiǎoxìn.
Rebels stomped on the enemy’s flags as a sign of defiance.
谁不喜欢反叛者呢？
Shéi bù xǐhuan fǎnpàn zhě ne?
Who doesn't love a rebel?
我们把他称为“英雄”，但是他却背叛了我们。
Wǒmen bǎ tā chēngwéi "yīngxióng ", dànshì tā què bèipàn le wǒmen.
We called him a "hero", but he betrayed us.
换句话说，他就背叛了我们。
Huànjùhuàshuō, tā jiù bèipàn le wǒmen.
In other words, he betrayed us.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 叛 (pàn) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 叛 and 伴?
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What characters sound the same as 叛 (pàn)?
Is 叛 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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