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劣势 (liè shì) — disadvantage; inferior position

Definition

劣势 is a disadvantage in a competitive or strategic situation — a position of being weaker than an opponent. Unlike 缺点 (a flaw in a thing or person) or 坏处 (a downside or harm), 劣势 refers to your overall standing against a rival.

noun
disadvantageinferior position
Easily confused

Examples

  • ，劣势。
    Zài jìng zhēng zhōng, wǒ men chǔ yú liè shì.
    We are at a disadvantage in the competition.
  • 劣势。
    Tā men nǔ lì bǎ liè shì biàn chéng yōu shì.
    They worked hard to turn the disadvantage into an advantage.
  • 劣势。
    Tā qīng chǔ zì jǐ de liè shì zài nǎ lǐ.
    He knows where his disadvantages lie.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

劣lièinferior
势shìposition

劣势 describes 势 (position) as 劣 (inferior), meaning a disadvantaged place.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

劣 combines 少 (little/less) with 力 (strength), showing less strength, hence bad or inferior.

Open 劣 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 勢; 势 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìpower
Sound part声符shēngfú
埶
埶yì勢shì
Same sound today

The traditional form 勢 combines 力, meaning power, with 埶 for the sound. The simplified 势 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 势 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract Concepts

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