削弱 (xuē ruò) — to weaken, to impair | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

削弱 (xuēruò) means to weaken or impair something's strength, power, or influence. Distinct from 减弱 (often of natural forces fading on their own) and 削减 (cutting quantities like budgets or staff).

verb

to weakento impair

Examples

削弱。
Jīng jì wēi jī xuē ruò le gāi guó de shí lì.
The economic crisis weakened the country's strength.
削弱。
Cháng qī quē fá duàn liàn huì xuē ruò nǐ de tǐ lì.
Long-term lack of exercise will impair your physical strength.
削弱。
Yáo yán xuē ruò le tā zài gōng zhòng zhōng de xìn rèn dù.
Rumors weakened his credibility with the public.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

削xiāocut down

削 means cut down and 弱 means weak, so 削弱 is to cut something down until it is weak.

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.

肖刂削

Meaning part形符xíngfú

刂Written in full as刀dāo

Sound part声符shēngfú

肖

肖xiào削xiāo

Same sound today

削 pairs 肖, which gives the sound, with 刀 (written as 刂), a knife, to show cutting or paring.

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

弓弓gōngbow
彡彡shānhair, meaning "decoration" in this case

弱 pairs 弓 (bow) with 彡 (hair), showing a decorative bow that is functionally inferior, or a shaking, worn-out bow.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Change & Process

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