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弱势 (ruò shì) — vulnerable; disadvantaged (position or group)

Definition

弱势 describes a disadvantaged position or group as a whole. 弱点 and 弱项 name a specific weak point; 劣势 is closer in meaning but stresses an unfavorable comparison between sides.

noun
vulnerabledisadvantaged (position or group)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 弱势。
    Shè huì yīng gāi duō guān zhù ruò shì qún tǐ.
    Society should pay more attention to vulnerable groups.
  • ，弱势。
    Zài zhè cì tán pàn zhōng, wǒ fāng chǔ yú ruò shì.
    In this negotiation, our side is in a weak position.
  • 弱势。
    Gōng sī chū tái zhèng cè fú chí ruò shì bù mén.
    The company introduced policies to support disadvantaged departments.

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.

弱ruòweak
势shìposition or power

The sense comes from 弱 meaning weak and 势 meaning position or power, giving a weak position or disadvantaged group.

Characters in this word

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

  • 弓弓gōngbow
  • 彡彡shānhair, meaning "decoration" in this case

弱 pairs 弓 (bow) with 彡 (hair), showing a decorative bow that is functionally inferior, or a shaking, worn-out bow.

Open 弱 →

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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