to criticize; criticism
HSK level
批评 is written with 14 strokes (批: 7, 评: 7). The animation replays automatically.
批评 (pīpíng) is a verb and noun meaning to criticize or find fault, and the criticism itself.
Crucially for English speakers, 批评 is almost always negative and directed downward or at behavior — a teacher 批评s a student, a boss 批评s an employee, a parent 批评s a child. It implies pointing out a fault and often an implied rebuke, closer to 'reprimand' or 'call out' than the neutral English 'criticize' that can include praise. It does NOT cover the sense of literary or film 'criticism' as analysis — that is 评论 (pínglùn).
Nor does it mean 'to review' constructively; for that, use 提意见 (offer suggestions) or 建议 (suggest). Being 批评 by a superior in a Chinese workplace or classroom is a face-losing event, so the word carries more sting than the English cognate. The passive 被批评 (to get criticized) is very common.
Note: Neutral to slightly formal. In everyday complaints people say 说 (shuō) someone; 批评 sounds more official — a boss, teacher, or authority 批评s a subordinate.
Character by character
Memory hook: 批 (comment) + 评 (evaluate) — to comment-and-evaluate someone's fault: to criticize.
批评 appears in 1 Fluentide podcast episode at natural native speed — each with the full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.
Browse the full episode library老师批评了他上课说话。
Lǎoshī pīpíng le tā shàngkè shuōhuà.
The teacher criticized him for talking in class.
neutral
我今天被老板批评了。
Wǒ jīntiān bèi lǎobǎn pīpíng le.
I got criticized by my boss today.
spoken
他不喜欢别人批评他的工作。
Tā bù xǐhuan biéren pīpíng tā de gōngzuò.
He doesn't like others criticizing his work.
neutral
领导对这个问题提出了批评。
Lǐngdǎo duì zhège wèntí tíchū le pīpíng.
The leadership raised a criticism about this issue.
written
责备 is 'to blame/reproach' and is more emotional and personal — you 责备 someone for letting you down. 批评 is more measured and often institutional, pointing out a specific fault to correct it.
指责 is stronger, 'to accuse/condemn,' often publicly and confrontationally. 批评 can be gentle and constructive; 指责 assigns blame with force.
评论 is 'to comment on / review' neutrally — a film review or online comment is a 评论. 批评 specifically finds fault. A movie 评论 can be glowing; a 批评 cannot.
批准 means 'to approve/authorize' (a request, a visa). It shares the 批 character but means the opposite kind of act — granting, not faulting.
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