bad luck; streak of misfortune
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
a run of bad luck; a streak of misfortune
dialectInformal term primarily used in northern Mandarin dialects, especially Beijing dialect. The '儿' (ér) is a rhotacized suffix (兒化), making it sound like 'bèizìr' when spoken. It often describes a temporary period of consistent bad luck.
Tā他
zuì最
jìn近
zǒu走
bèi背
zì字
r儿
，
gàn干
shén什
me么
dōu都
bù不
shùn顺
。
He's been having a run of bad luck lately; nothing goes right for him.
Zhè这
zhèn阵
zi子
zhēn真
shì是
bèi背
zì字
r儿
dào到
jiā家
le了
，
qián钱
bāo包
diū丢
le了
，
gōng工
zuò作
yě也
diū丢
le了
。
Lately, the bad luck has been extreme—I lost my wallet and my job.
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Bié别
zǒng总
shuō说
zì自
jǐ己
zǒu走
bèi背
zì字
r儿
，
yào要
zhèn振
zuò作
qǐ起
lái来
。
Don't keep saying you're down on your luck; you need to cheer up.