敵

Noun: Enemy, foe, rival, adversary. Generally denotes a structural or situational opponent (e.g., an opposing army or professional rival).

Verb: To match, equal, be a peer to, or resist. In this sense, the focus is on capacity—whether one party is a sufficient match for another in strength, skill, or status (e.g., 無敵 as "peerless" or "unmatched").

As a verb, it is transitive; it takes the person or force being matched or resisted as its object.

Contrast with 仇: While 敵 denotes an opponent, 仇 typically implies hatred, revenge, or a blood feud.

Contrast with 對: While both involve "facing" or being "opposite," 對 generally refers to position, response, or correspondence, whereas 敵 specifically implies a conflict of interest, power, or competition.

Tang-period reading *dhek (Fanqie: 徒歷). Simplified variant U+654C.