亏得 (kuī de) — (adv.) fortunately, luckily (genuine thanks); (adv.) thanks to (ironic, indicating the opposite: that someone or something caused a problem)

Definition

亏得 is an adverb that can mean either genuine gratitude ('fortunately, luckily, thanks to') or, in a different tone, sarcastic blame for someone causing a problem — context and intonation tell them apart.

adverb
(adv.) fortunatelyluckily (genuine thanks)(adv.) thanks to (ironic, indicating the opposite: that someone or something caused a problem)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 亏得，。
    kuī de Nǐ tí xǐng wǒ, bù rán wǒ jiù wàng le.
    Luckily you reminded me, otherwise I would have forgotten.
  • 亏得，。
    kuī de Tā nà me dà shēng, bǎ suǒ yǒu rén dōu chǎo xǐng le.
    Thanks to him being so loud, he woke everyone up. (ironic)
  • 亏得，。
    kuī de Dài le sǎn, bù rán jiù lín shī le.
    Fortunately I brought an umbrella, otherwise I would have gotten wet.

Origin

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 虧; 亏 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亏亏kuīexhale
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.

Open 亏 →

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

The old form 㝵 showed a hand picking up a cowry, meaning to obtain; later changes turned that picture into 得.

Open 得 →

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