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沮丧 (jǔ sàng) — dispirited, dejected, dismayed

Definition

沮丧 means dejected and low in spirit, usually from a specific setback — stronger than 消沉 (a longer-lasting low mood) and more transient than 颓废 (which can imply a decadent lifestyle).

adjective
dispiriteddejecteddismayed

Examples

  • ，沮丧。
    Tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xi, tā gǎn dào fēi cháng jǔ sàng.
    She felt very dejected upon hearing this news.
  • ，沮丧。
    Jí shǐ shī bài le, yě bú yào yì zhí jǔ sàng.
    Even if you fail, don't stay dejected all the time.
  • 沮丧，。
    Tā jǔ sàng dì dī xià le tóu, shuō bù chū huà lái.
    He lowered his head in dismay, unable to speak.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

沮jǔdejected
丧sàngdejected

沮 and 丧 both convey dejection, so it describes feeling downcast and dispirited.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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 喪; 丧 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
㗊㗊㗊many mouths
Sound part声符shēngfú
桑
桑sāng喪sàng
Same sound today

The traditional form 喪 originally paired 桑 (mulberry tree) with 㗊 (many mouths). The simplified 丧 is the modern form, deriving from a form that used 哭 (cry) and 亡 (die).

Open 丧 →
Appears in
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