乖

Core sense is a failure to align or meet, appearing in three registers:

• Spatial/Relational: Divergence, estrangement, or the failure of two things to come together.
• Behavioral: Deviation from norms, expectations, authority, or duty.
• Intellectual: A "crooked" or non-straightforward mind; cunning, shrewdness, or agility.

• Verb: To diverge, fail to meet, contradict, or violate (a rule/expectation).
• Adjective: Contrary, perverse, estranged, or shrewd.

• vs 違 (wéi): Both can mean "to violate," but 違 emphasizes a breach of specific laws or rules; 乖 emphasizes a state of mismatch or misalignment.
• vs 悖 (bèi): While both involve going against the grain, 悖 carries a stronger moral charge of absurdity or perversity.
• vs 離 (lí): Where 離 implies a distinct departure or separation, 乖 suggests a failure to synchronize or meet.

Tang-period reading: guæi. Note that the classical meaning is essentially the antonym of the modern Mandarin usage.

Caution: In modern Mandarin, this glyph denotes "obedience" or being "well-behaved." In classical contexts, however, it denotes divergence and misalignment.