落榜 (luò bǎng) — to fail a competitive exam (for school or job admission)

Definition

A formal verb meaning 'to fail a competitive exam' (for school or job admission) — the opposite of 考中/上榜. Used mainly in written contexts like 高考, not everyday speech.

verb
to fail a competitive exam (for school or job admission)

Examples

  • ，落榜。
    Tā yīn wèi jǐn zhāng, gāo kǎo luò bǎng le.
    He failed the gaokao because of nervousness.
  • ，。
    Tā céng jīng luò guò bǎng, hòu lái zhōng yú kǎo shàng le.
    She had failed an exam before, but later finally got in.
  • 落榜，。
    Zhè cì kǎo shì rú guǒ luò bǎng, wǒ jiù yào zài zhǔn bèi yì nián.
    If I fail this exam, I'll have to prepare for another year.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

落luòfall
榜bǎnglist

落 and 榜 combine as falling off the successful list, meaning to fail an exam.

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
艹Written in full as艸cǎo
Sound part声符shēngfú
洛
洛luò落luò
Same sound today

落 pairs 艹 with 洛; 洛 gives the sound, and 艹 relates to the meaning.

Open 落 →

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
木木mù
Sound part声符shēngfú
旁
旁páng榜
Same sound today

榜 pairs 木, a tree or wood element, with 旁, which is used for the sound.

Open 榜 →

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