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有损 (yǒu sǔn) — to harm, to be detrimental to

Definition

有损 (yǒu sǔn) is a formal verb meaning 'to harm, to be detrimental to' — typically used with abstract nouns like health, image, or reputation, not concrete things.

verb
to harmto be detrimental to

Examples

  • 有损。
    Chōu yān yǒu sǔn jiàn kāng.
    Smoking harms health.
  • 有损。
    Zhè zhǒng xíng wéi yǒu sǔn gōng sī xíng xiàng.
    This kind of behavior harms the company's image.
  • 有损。
    Guò dù shǐ yòng shǒu jī yǒu sǔn shì lì.
    Excessive use of phones harms eyesight.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

有yǒuhave
损sǔnharm

有 means have and 损 means harm, together describing something that causes harm.

Characters in this word

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
肉肉ròumeat
Sound part声符shēngfú
又
又yòu有yǒu
Same sound today

The form 有 combines 又, used for its sound, with a shape from 肉, 'meat'; the hand-holding-meat story is a folk explanation, not shown in the oldest shape.

Open 有 →

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 損; 损 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
員
員yuán損sǔn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 損 pairs 手 (hand) with 員 as a sound part; the simplified 损 is a later shorthand, so its visible parts are not the original components.

Open 损 →
Appears in
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