覇 (bà) - hegemony, supremacy, dominance & to rule by force

覇Tone 4

bà ｜ 19 strokes ｜ radical:

傲不

覇 · bà

hegemony, supremacy, dominance;

to rule by force;

champion, leader;

also used in historical contexts referring to feudal lords who held power without royal sanction.

hegemony, supremacy, dominanceto rule by forcechampion, leader

Usage highlights

hegemonyoverlorddominatechampionseek hegemonyoverlord's path

Synonyms

  • 霸— variant form with same meaning
  • 主宰— dominate, control
  • 统领— command, lead

Antonyms

  • 王— legitimate king (contrasts with usurper/overlord)
  • 臣— subject, subordinate
  • 从— follow, obey

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He aimed for regional hegemony (地区霸权).
  • The company dominated the market (市场霸主).
  • The champion team won the tournament (覇者チーム).
  • The Overlord of Western Chu (西楚覇王).

Collocations

  • hegemony(霸权)
  • overlord(覇王)
  • dominate(覇占)
  • champion(覇者)
  • seek hegemony(争覇)
  • overlord's path(覇道)

Idioms

  • The Overlord of Western Chu(西楚覇王)
  • Contend for supremacy(争覇天下)
  • The kingly way versus the way of might(王道覇道)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically associated with feudal lords who held de facto power without the Mandate of Heaven, contrasting with legitimate kings (王).
  • The concept of 覇道 (the way of might) opposes 王道 (the kingly way) in Confucian political philosophy.
  • Famously used in the title 覇王 (Overlord), particularly referring to Xiang Yu from the Chu-Han contention period.

FAQ