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亏本 (kuī běn) — to make a loss; to lose money (in business)

Definition

亏本 (kuī běn) is a verb meaning to lose money on a deal or business — selling or operating below cost. More specific than 亏 (a general loss) and more commercial than 吃亏 (broader 'be at a disadvantage').

verb
to make a lossto lose money (in business)

Examples

  • 亏本，。
    Zhè cì tóu zī kuī běn le, dà jiā dōu hěn shī wàng.
    This investment made a loss, and everyone was very disappointed.
  • 亏本。
    Tā men bù xiǎng zuò kuī běn de shēng yì.
    They don't want to do business that makes a loss.
  • 亏本。
    Gōng sī qù nián kuī běn le yì bǎi wàn yuán.
    The company lost one million yuan last year.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

亏kuīlose
本běncapital

亏, lose, and 本, capital, together mean losing money in business.

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 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

本 adds a stroke at the bottom of a tree shape to mark the roots, giving the sense of foundation or original.

Open 本 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Business & Commerce

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