泄气 (xiè qì) — (verb) to leak (gas/air); to go flat; (verb) to…

Definition

As a verb/adjective, 泄气 means to lose heart or be disheartened — stronger than 失望, gentler than 绝望. It can also describe a tire going flat (车胎泄气).

verb

to leak (gas/air)to go flatto be discouragedto lose heart

adjective

dishearteningpathetic

，。
Chē tāi xiè le qì, xū yào dǎ qì.
The tire has gone flat and needs to be pumped up.
，泄气。
Jí shǐ shī bài le, yě bú yào xiè qì.
Even if you fail, don't be discouraged.
泄气。
Tā de biǎo xiàn zhēn lìng rén xiè qì.
His performance is really disheartening.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

泄 means vent and 气 means air, so 泄气 can mean losing spirit.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 洩; 泄 is its simplified writing.

氵曳洩

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

曳

曳yè洩xiè

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 洩, 氵 marks the water-related meaning, while 曳 gives the sound; the simplified 泄 is a later abbreviation.

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 氣; 气 is its simplified writing.

气米氣

Meaning part形符xíngfú

米米mǐrice

Sound part声符shēngfú

气

Same sound today

The traditional form 氣 pairs 米 (rice) with 气, which supplies the sound; the simplified 气 is a later abbreviation.

Appears in