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缺乏 (quē fá) — to lack, to be short of

Definition

A two-character verb meaning 'to lack / be short of', used in formal or written contexts — more weighty than the everyday 缺少, which is common in speech.

verb
to lackto be short of

Examples

  • 缺乏。
    Zhè ge xiàng mù quē fá zú gòu de zī jīn.
    This project lacks sufficient funding.
  • 缺乏。
    Tā yīn wèi quē fá jīng yàn ér shī bài le.
    He failed because he lacked experience.
  • 缺乏。
    Wǒ men quē fá shí jiān qù wán chéng zhè ge rèn wu.
    We lack the time to complete this task.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

缺quēlacking
乏fálacking

缺 and 乏 both mean lacking, together stressing a shortage.

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
缶缶fǒuearthen pot
Sound part声符shēngfú
夬
夬guài缺quē
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

缺 pairs 缶, an earthen pot, with 夬, which gives the sound.

Open 缺 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 乏 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 5Quantity & Amount5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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