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失足 (shī zú) — to slip and fall; to lose one's footing; (figurative) to take a wrong step in life; to make a serious mistake

Definition

Literally 'lose one's footing' — used literally for slipping and falling, and figuratively for a serious moral misstep (often in 失足青年 'at-risk youth'). Far more dramatic than a casual mistake.

verb
to slip and fallto lose one's footing(figurative) to take a wrong step in lifeto make a serious mistake

Examples

  • 失足，。
    Tā bù xiǎo xīn shī zú, diào jìn le hé lǐ.
    He accidentally slipped and fell into the river.
  • ，失足。
    Nián qīng rén yào xiǎo xīn, bú yào shī zú.
    Young people should be careful not to go astray.
  • ，。
    Tā nián qīng shí shī guò yí cì zú, hòu lái gǎi guò zì xīn le.
    He made one wrong step in his youth, but later turned over a new leaf.

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
足zúfoot

Losing the foot suggests slipping or taking a wrong step.

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 →

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

足 was originally drawn as a leg.

Open 足 →
Appears in
Injury & Disability

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