批判 (pīpàn) — to criticize, to critique

批判 (pīpàn)

批判 means to criticize or critique, especially in a thorough, principled, or ideological manner. It implies a deeper, more systematic form of criticism than 批评 (pīpíng), often targeting fundamental flaws in thinking, ideology, or systems. In academic contexts, it translates as "critique" and carries the analytical weight of critical theory. In political contexts, it can mean denunciation.

Meanings

1. [v] to criticize fundamentally; to subject to critique
2. [v] to denounce; to repudiate (in political or ideological contexts)

Example Sentences

启蒙思想家对封建专制制度进行了深刻的理性批判。 Qǐméng sīxiǎngjiā duì fēngjiàn zhuānzhì zhìdù jìnxíngle shēnkè de lǐxìng pīpàn. Enlightenment thinkers subjected feudal autocracy to profound rational critique.

批判性阅读是大学生必须掌握的学术技能之一。 Pīpànxìng yuèdú shì dàxuéshēng bìxū zhǎngwò de xuéshù jìnéng zhī yī. Critical reading is one of the academic skills that university students must master.

康德的三大批判奠定了近代西方哲学的重要基础。 Kāngdé de sān dà pīpàn diàndìngle jìndài xīfāng zhéxué de zhòngyào jīchǔ. Kant's three Critiques laid an important foundation for modern Western philosophy.

这篇文章对消费主义文化的批判入木三分，发人深省。 Zhè piān wénzhāng duì xiāofèizhǔyì wénhuà de pīpàn rùmùsānfēn, fārén shēnxǐng. This article's critique of consumerist culture is incisive and thought-provoking.

我们应当批判地继承传统文化，而非全盘接受或否定。 Wǒmen yīngdāng pīpàn de jìchéng chuántǒng wénhuà, ér fēi quánpán jiēshòu huò fǒudìng. We should inherit traditional culture critically, neither accepting it wholesale nor rejecting it entirely.

媒体对权力的批判监督是维护公共利益的重要机制。 Méitǐ duì quánlì de pīpàn jiāndū shì wéihù gōnggòng lìyì de zhòngyào jīzhì. The media's critical oversight of power is an important mechanism for safeguarding the public interest.

Collocations

Usage Notes

批判 is stronger and more formal than 批评 (pīpíng). While 批评 is used for everyday criticism or feedback (criticizing someone's behavior, giving a negative review), 批判 implies a more fundamental, principled, or ideological attack on ideas, systems, or theories. In Chinese academic writing, 批判性 (critical, in the sense of critical theory) is a key term.

The phrase 批判地 (critically, as an adverb) is important in Chinese intellectual discourse, as in 批判地继承 (to critically inherit) — accepting the good while rejecting the bad. Note that during the Cultural Revolution, 批判 had a strongly political and often violent connotation (批斗, to struggle against). Today, in academic contexts, it has been rehabilitated to mean rigorous intellectual critique.

Memory Hook

批 (to comment on, to criticize) + 判 (to judge): "judging and passing critical verdict" — systematic, principled criticism.