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丧失 (sàng shī) — to lose (abstract things such as ability, confidence, rights, etc.)

Definition

丧失 is a formal verb for losing something abstract or non-returnable — ability, rights, confidence. More serious than 失去 ('to lose' in general), and unlike 转让 it is involuntary, not a transfer.

verb
to lose (abstract things such as ability, confidence, rights, etc.)

Examples

  • 丧失。
    Zhè chǎng shī bài ràng tā sàng shī le zì xìn.
    This failure made him lose his confidence.
  • 丧失。
    Tā yīn bìng sàng shī le shuō huà de néng lì.
    He lost the ability to speak due to illness.
  • 丧失。
    Tā yīn zuò bì sàng shī le cān sài zī gé.
    He lost his qualification to compete because of cheating.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

丧sànglose
失shīlose

丧 and 失 both mean lose, together intensify losing something.

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 喪; 丧 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
㗊㗊㗊many mouths
Sound part声符shēngfú
桑
桑sāng喪sàng
Same sound today

The traditional form 喪 originally paired 桑 (mulberry tree) with 㗊 (many mouths). The simplified 丧 is the modern form, deriving from a form that used 哭 (cry) and 亡 (die).

Open 丧 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 6Abstract Concepts5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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