该 gāi — that; the above-mentioned; most likely; to deserve; should; ought to
你应该早点儿睡觉。Nǐ yīng gāi zǎo diǎnr shuì jiào.You should go to bed earlier.
Common words: 应该 (yīng gāi)、活该 (huó gāi)、不该 (bù gāi)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to deserve"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to deserve", including 该 (gāi), 配 (pèi). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to deserve" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 该 (gāi), 配 (pèi) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span gāi, pèi — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 该 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 该 gāithat; the above-mentioned; most likely; to deserve; should; ought toUseful words: 应该, 活该
- 配 pèito join; to fit; to mate; to mix; to match; to deserveUseful words: 配合, 分配
Common words for these 2 "to deserve" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 该 (gāi) — so "to deserve" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
应该yīng gāiought to; should; must活该huó gāi(coll.) serve sb right; deservedly; ought; should不该bù gāishould not; to owe nothing配合pèi hématching; fitting in with; compatible with; to correspond分配fēn pèito distribute; to assign; to allocate; to partition (a hard drive)支配zhī pèito control; to dominate; to allocate
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "to deserve".
配 pèi — to join; to fit; to mate; to mix; to match; to deserve
这条围巾和你的大衣很配。Zhè tiáo wéi jīn hé nǐ de dà yī hěn pèi.This scarf matches your coat well.
Common words: 配合 (pèi hé)、分配 (fēn pèi)、支配 (zhī pèi)
All 2 characters
Open 该、配 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.