亏 (kuī) — to lose (money), to suffer a loss; to be deficient in, to lack (often in 理亏 'to be in the wrong')
Definition
亏 (kuī) means 'to lose money / to suffer a loss' in business or trade, as in 亏了本. Use 欠 when the focus is owing or lacking something (not losing it).
verb
to lose (money)to suffer a lossto be deficient into lack (often in 理亏 'to be in the wrong')
Examples
- 。Tā zuò shēng yi kuī le běn.He lost capital in his business.
- 。Zhè ge yuè gōng sī kuī le hěn duō qián.The company lost a lot of money this month.
- 。Nǐ zhè yàng zuò kuī le lǐ.You are in the wrong for doing this.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 虧; 亏 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
雐
雐hū虧kuī
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 虧 pairs 雐, a sound part, with 亏, a part meaning exhale. The simplified 亏 is a later abbreviation.
Appears in
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