偏
piān
Description
“偏”这个字有几个意思，可以说东西不在中间，也可以说一个人只喜欢一样东西。
The character "偏" has several meanings; it can mean something is not in the center, or that a person likes only one thing.
它还常用来说“偏偏”，意思是事情跟你想的相反。
It is also often used in "偏偏," meaning that things happen opposite to what you expect.
Meanings
偏piān
leaning to one side; not centered; slanted
这张画挂得有点偏。
This painting is hung a bit crooked.
偏piān
partial; biased toward one thing or person
妈妈说她不偏爱哪个孩子。
Mom says she doesn't favor any child.
偏偏piānpiān
contrary to expectation; just when least wanted
我想出门，偏偏下雨了。
I wanted to go out, but it just started raining.
Related words
Notes
- Etymology
亻(person) + 扁 (flat); phono-semantic character meaning to lean or deviate.
- Nuance
偏 stresses deviation from center or fairness; 歪 stresses crookedness or being physically askew.
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