Definition
不足 (bùzú) means 'insufficient, lacking' and is more formal than 不够 (bùgòu), which is the everyday word for 'not enough'. Compared to 缺 (quē, 'to lack/miss'), 不足 focuses on inadequacy of quantity or quality rather than absence. It also has the unique sense 'not worth (doing)' in fixed phrases like 不足为奇 (nothing to be surprised about).
verb
to be insufficientto lacknot worth (doing)
noun
insufficiencyshortcomingdeficiency
Examples
- 不足，。Gōngsī mùqián zījīn bù zú, xūyào dàikuǎn.The company currently has insufficient funds and needs a loan.
- ，。Zhè jiàn shì hěn chángjiàn, bù zú wéi qí.This matter is very common; it's nothing to be surprised about.
- 不足，。Zhège fāng'àn hái yǒu hěn duō bù zú zhī chù, xūyào gǎijìn.This plan still has many shortcomings and needs improvement.
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