悖 (bèi) is a Chinese character meaning “contrary to”. It is written from 忄 (heart (left-side form)) and 孛 (comet; luxuriant growth), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “contrary; perverse”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
忄 + 孛
Left–right structure
Structure from: IDS 拆分 ⿰忄孛，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「忄」（3 画），笔画 3–9 为「孛」（7 画），合计 10 画
Memory aid
A heart (忄) beside a wild comet (孛): when your heart flies off like a comet, your thinking runs against reason — 悖.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 悖论bèi lùnparadox悖 = bèi
- 并行不悖bìng xíng bú bèito run in parallel without conflict悖 = bèi
Go deeper
All readings
contrary; perverse
contrary to; running against (reason); perverse; confused
违背、相冲突；也指荒谬、不合情理。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 悖论bèi lùnparadox悖 = bèi
- 并行不悖bìng xíng bú bèito run in parallel without conflict悖 = bèi
Origin
Originally a variant of 誖 (confused, contrary): the heart radical 忄 for meaning and 孛 for sound.
Source: 说文解字（誖：亂也。从言孛聲。悖，誖或从心）
Sound component
孛 family
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 悖 mean?
悖 (bèi) means contrary to; running against (reason); perverse; confused.
How do you pronounce 悖?
It is pronounced bèi.
What parts is 悖 made of?
忄 (heart (left-side form)) and 孛 (comet; luxuriant growth), side by side. The recorded source is: IDS 拆分 ⿰忄孛，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「忄」（3 画），笔画 3–9 为「孛」（7 画），合计 10 画. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 悖 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 悖?
心. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 悖?
Common ones are 悖论 and 并行不悖. The reading of 悖 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.