悖

Core sense is "deviation" or "going counter to a prescribed path," appearing in three primary registers:

// Moral/Social: Disobedience, filial impiety, or rebellion; behavior that violates established hierarchy or propriety (//li*), implying a failure to adhere to one's role.

• Intellectual/Logical: Contradiction, absurdity, or irrationality; claims that are self-contradictory or defy common sense.
• Physical/General: Straying from a path or moving in a direction contrary to the intended course.

• Verb: To act contrary to, violate, or disobey (e.g., 悖理 "to go against reason").
• Adjective: Contrary, perverse, absurd, or stubborn; can characterize either a person’s disposition or the nature of a proposition.

Contrast with 逆 (//nì//): While both involve moving "against" something, //nì// is often neutral or physical (e.g., moving against a current or wind). In contrast, //bèi// carries strong evaluative weight, suggesting the deviation is "wrong" or "perverse." Where //nì// describes direction, //bèi// describes propriety and logic.

The glyph consistently implies a breach of an expected norm—whether that norm is a social obligation, a logical rule, or a physical path. The choice between "absurd," "disobedient," or "contradictory" should be driven by whether the text addresses logic, hierarchy, or movement.