失宠 (shī chǒng) — to lose favor (especially with a superior)

Definition

A formal verb meaning 'to fall out of favor' — usually with a boss, ruler, or person of higher status (皇帝, 老板, 上司). It is more literary than everyday speech and implies a loss of standing, not a casual disagreement.

verb
to lose favor (especially with a superior)

Examples

  • 失宠。
    Tā yīn wèi shuō cuò huà ér shī chǒng le.
    He lost favor because he said the wrong thing.
  • 。
    Nà wèi dà chén céng zài huáng dì miàn qián shī guò chǒng.
    That minister once lost favor with the emperor.
  • ，失宠。
    Yuán gōng rú guǒ jīng cháng chí dào, hěn róng yì zài lǎo bǎn miàn qián shī chǒng.
    If employees are often late, they easily lose favor with the boss.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

失shīlose
宠chǒngfavor

Losing 宠, favor, as 失 means to lose.

Characters in this word

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

The shape is explained as a fallen person's footprint surrounded by drops of blood; another reading pairs 手 (hand) and 乙 to show something falling from a hand.

Open 失 →

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 寵; 宠 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
龍
龍lóng寵chǒng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 寵 pairs 宀 (roof) with 龍 (dragon): 宀 relates to the meaning and 龍 gives the sound. The simplified 宠 is a later shorthand.

Open 宠 →

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