违 wéi — to disobey; to violate; to separate; to go against
闯红灯是违反交通规则的。Chuǎng hóng dēng shì wéi fǎn jiāo tōng guī zé de.Running a red light violates traffic rules.
Common words: 违法 (wéi fǎ)、违反 (wéi fǎn)、违规 (wéi guī)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to go against"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to go against", including 违 (wéi), 逆 (nì). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to go against" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 违 (wéi), 逆 (nì) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span wéi, nì — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 违 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 违 wéito disobey; to violate; to separate; to go againstUseful words: 违法, 违反
- 逆 nìcontrary; opposite; backwards; to go against; to oppose; to betrayUseful words: 叛逆, 可逆
Common words for these 2 "to go against" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 违 (wéi) — so "to go against" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
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 go against".
逆 nì — contrary; opposite; backwards; to go against; to oppose; to betray
小船逆着水流，慢慢向上游驶去。Xiǎo chuán nì zhe shuǐ liú, màn màn xiàng shàng yóu shǐ qù.The boat went against the current, slowly heading upstream.
Common words: 叛逆 (pàn nì)、可逆 (kě nì)、逆子 (nì zǐ)
All 2 characters
Open 违、逆 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.