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闪失 (shǎn shī) — accident, mishap, mistake

Definition

闪失 means a small slip or mishap — an unexpected mistake, not a planned one. It focuses on the lapse itself rather than the cause (unlike 错误, which names the wrong act).

noun
accidentmishapmistake

Examples

  • 闪失。
    Zhè jiàn shì bù néng yǒu rèn hé shǎn shī.
    There can't be any mistake in this matter.
  • ，闪失。
    Tā zuò shì hěn xiǎo xīn, cóng méi chū guò shǎn shī.
    He is very careful in his work and has never had any mishap.
  • 闪失，。
    Wèi le bì miǎn shǎn shī, wǒ men jiǎn chá le sān biàn.
    To avoid any accident, we checked three times.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

闪shǎnslip
失shīerror

闪 and 失 both suggest a slip or mishap, giving the sense of an accident.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 閃; 闪 is its simplified writing.

In the traditional 閃, 人 (person) appears inside 門 (gate), showing a person running through a gate. The simplified 闪 is a later shorthand.

Open 闪 →

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

The shape is explained as a fallen person's footprint surrounded by drops of blood; another reading pairs 手 (hand) and 乙 to show something falling from a hand.

Open 失 →
Appears in
Safety & Danger

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