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失调 (shī tiáo) — disorder; imbalanced state (of bodily functions, systems, or relationships); (medical) dislocation (of a joint)

Definition

失调 means 'out of balance' — used for bodily functions, systems, or supply-and-demand. Note the example 供需失调 (supply-demand imbalance) and 内分泌失调 (endocrine disorder).

noun
disorderimbalanced state (of bodily functions, systems, or relationships)(medical) dislocation (of a joint)

Examples

  • 失调。
    Tā de nèi fēn mì shī tiáo yǐn qǐ le tǐ zhòng zēng jiā.
    Her endocrine disorder caused weight gain.
  • 失调。
    Shì chǎng gōng xū shī tiáo dǎo zhì wù jià shàng zhǎng.
    The supply-demand imbalance in the market led to price increases.
  • 失调，。
    Tā shuāi dǎo hòu jiān guān jié shī tiáo le, xū yào mǎ shàng fù wèi.
    After his fall, his shoulder joint dislocated and needs immediate reduction.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

失shīlose
调tiáobalance

失 means lose and 调 means balance, so the word describes losing balance or coordination.

Characters in this word

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 調; 调 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
周
周zhōu調tiáo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 調 pairs 言 (speech) with 周, which shows how it was pronounced. The simplified 调 is a later shorthand.

Open 调 →
Appears in
Illness & Symptoms

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