TongTong
Sign in

供不应求 (gōng bú yìng qiú) — supply falls short of demand; to be in short supply

Definition

A set phrase for when supply can't keep up with demand, leaving goods in short supply. 短缺 is a more general verb meaning 'to be lacking'; 供不应求 specifically frames the gap as supply vs. demand.

phrase
supply falls short of demandto be in short supply

Examples

  • 供不应求。
    Zhè kuǎn xiàn liàng bǎn yùn dòng xié shàng shì hòu gōng bú yìng qiú.
    This limited-edition sneaker has been in short supply since its release.
  • 供不应求，。
    Yì qíng qī jiān kǒu zhào gōng bú yìng qiú, jià gé zhǎng le bù shǎo.
    During the pandemic, masks were in short supply, and prices rose a lot.
  • 供不应求，。
    Rè mén jǐng diǎn de mén piào jīng cháng gōng bú yìng qiú, xū yào tí qián yù dìng.
    Tickets for popular scenic spots are often in short supply and need to be booked in advance.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
共
共gòng供gòng
Same sound today

供 is made of 亻, a person, and 共, which gives the sound gòng.

Open 供 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

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 應; 应 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
䧹
䧹䧹應yìng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 應 pairs 心 (heart) with 䧹 as a sound part; the simplified 应 is a later shorthand and its parts are not the original components.

Open 应 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

求 began as a drawing of a centipede.

Open 求 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.