北

běi

north; northern; northward; to flee or retreat

Meaning

Directional: North, northern, or northward.
Verbal (Early/Military): To turn one's back; to flee, retreat, or be routed.

Grammar and usage

As a directional: Functions as a noun, adjective, or adverb of direction.
As a verb: Typically intransitive, describing the state of a defeated party fleeing.

Distinctions

Contrast with 背: While conceptually linked to "the back," 北 refers to the act of turning away or the resulting direction; it should be distinguished from 背 when the text refers specifically to the anatomical back or spine.

Translator notes

In passages concerning conflict or sudden departure where a directional reading creates a semantic vacuum, test for the verbal meaning "to flee."
In classical contexts, the glyph often carries implicit associations with remoteness, cold, or peripheral non-central populations.

Decontextualized translator aid. This page describes plausible lexical range; it does not choose what the glyph means in a particular passage.