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滞后 (zhì hòu) — to lag behind, to fall behind

Definition

A formal, written verb for 'lag behind' (progress, technology, market). Unlike 落后, it focuses on a temporary delay, not being chronically backward; 停滞 means the process has stopped entirely.

verb
to lag behindto fall behind

Examples

  • 滞后。
    Zhè ge xiàng mù de jìn zhǎn zhì hòu le yù qī.
    The progress of this project lags behind expectations.
  • 滞后。
    Wǒ men de chǎn pǐn bù néng zài jì shù shàng zhì hòu.
    Our products cannot lag behind in technology.
  • 滞后，。
    Rú guǒ zhì hòu le shì chǎng biàn huà, gōng sī jiù huì shī bài.
    If you lag behind market changes, the company will fail.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

滞zhìstagnate
后hòubehind

“滞” stagnates or slows, “后” is behind, so the sense is to lag behind.

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 滯; 滞 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
帶
帶dài滯zhì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 滯 combines 水 (water) with 帶, which gives the pronunciation; the simplified 滞 is a later shorthand.

Open 滞 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 後; 后 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 後 showed 夊 (foot) bound by 幺 (thread), a foot caught by a rope and lagging behind; the simplified 后 is a later abbreviation, and 后 also has a different meaning.

Open 后 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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