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大失所望 (dà shī suǒ wàng) — to be greatly disappointed

Definition

A strong, written idiom meaning 'greatly disappointed' — 'fully lost the hope one had held.' More emphatic and literary than the plain verb 失望, and best used for expectations that fall clearly short.

idiom
to be greatly disappointed

Examples

  • 大失所望，。
    Wǒ duì zhè bù diàn yǐng dà shī suǒ wàng, yīn wèi jù qíng tài chà le.
    I was greatly disappointed with this movie because the plot was too bad.
  • 大失所望。
    Tā zhè cì kǎo shì de chéng jì ràng fù mǔ dà shī suǒ wàng.
    His exam results this time greatly disappointed his parents.
  • 大失所望，。
    Wǒ duì tā de biǎo xiàn dà shī suǒ wàng, tā běn kě yǐ zuò dé gèng hǎo.
    I was greatly disappointed with his performance; he could have done better.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →

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

The shape is explained as a fallen person's footprint surrounded by drops of blood; another reading pairs 手 (hand) and 乙 to show something falling from a hand.

Open 失 →

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
斤斤jīnaxe
Sound part声符shēngfú
戶
戶hù所suǒ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

所 pairs 斤, an axe, with 戶, which gives the sound hù; the old meaning was the sound of logging.

Open 所 →

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

  • 臣臣chéneye
  • 𡈼𡈼𡈼person standing on the ground

望 originally showed 臣 (eye) beside 𡈼 (person standing on the ground): a person standing up and looking off into the distance. Later 月 was added, and the 臣 part became 亡.

Open 望 →
Appears in
Emotions & FeelingsIdioms & Set Phrases

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