失色 (shī sè) — (of a person) to turn pale (from fear, shock, or anxiety); (of color) to fade, lose color, become discolored; (figurative) to be outshone, be eclipsed, pale in comparison

Definition

Literary 'to lose color' — turns pale from shock, or (figuratively) is eclipsed/outshone. Also describes fading or discoloration of objects. Used in writing rather than everyday speech.

verb
(of a person) to turn pale (from fear, shock, or anxiety)(of color) to fadelose colorbecome discolored(figurative) to be outshonebe eclipsedpale in comparison

Examples

  • ，失色。
    Tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xi, tā dùn shí dà jīng shī sè.
    Hearing this news, she turned pale with fright.
  • ，。
    Zhè zhāng jiù zhào piàn yǐ jīng shī le sè, biān yuán dōu huáng le.
    This old photo has lost its color; the edges are all yellow.
  • ，。
    Zài zhè wèi dà shī de zuò pǐn miàn qián, qí tā huà jiā de huà quán dōu àn rán shī sè.
    In front of this master's works, the paintings of other artists all pale in comparison.

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
色sècolor

'失' (lose) and '色' (color) combine to mean losing one's color, as from fear or fading.

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 →

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

  • 爪爪zhuǎclaw; hand
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

色 pairs 爪 (a hand) with 卩 (a kneeling person), showing a hand pressing down on the kneeling person.

Open 色 →

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