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受挫 (shòu cuò) — to be frustrated; to suffer a setback

Definition

受挫 describes the experience of being frustrated or hitting a setback. Unlike 挫折 (a setback itself), 受挫 emphasizes the emotional impact on the person.

verb
to be frustratedto suffer a setback

Examples

  • 受挫。
    Tā yīn wèi kǎo shì shòu cuò ér xīn qíng dī luò.
    He was in low spirits because he suffered a setback in the exam.
  • 受挫，。
    Chuàng yè róng yì shòu cuò, dàn bú yào qīng yì fàng qì.
    Starting a business is easy to encounter setbacks, but don't give up easily.
  • 受挫，。
    Duō cì shòu cuò zhī hòu, tā zhōng yú zhǎo dào le jiě jué fāng fǎ.
    After repeated setbacks, He finally found a solution after multiple setbacks.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

受shòureceive
挫cuòsetback

受 (receive) and 挫 (setback) together mean suffer a setback.

Characters in this word

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

受 possibly combines 爪 and 又 as hands with 舟 as a boat, to show handing something over.

Open 受 →

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
扌Written in full as手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
坐
坐zuò挫cuò
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

挫 is written with 扌, a hand shape, beside 坐, which gives its sound.

Open 挫 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Emotions & FeelingsSuccess & Failure

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