TongTong
Sign in

流失 (liú shī) — (of soil, water, etc.) to wash away, to be eroded); (figurative) (of talent, funds, customers, etc.) to be lost, to go elsewhere

Definition

Used when something valuable erodes or drains away against one's will — soil washing away, or (figuratively) talent, funds, and customers leaving. Distinct from 流逝, which refers to time passing.

verb
(of soil, water, etc.) to wash awayto be eroded)(figurative) (of talent, funds, customers, etc.) to be lostto go elsewhere

Examples

  • 流失。
    Guò dù fàng mù huì dǎo zhì cǎo yuán shuǐ tǔ liú shī.
    Overgrazing can lead to grassland soil erosion.
  • ，流失。
    Gōng sī fú lì bù hǎo, róng yì zào chéng rén cái liú shī.
    Poor company benefits easily cause brain drain.
  • 流失。
    Zhè cì jīng jì wēi jī dǎo zhì dà liàng zī jīn liú shī dào guó wài.
    This economic crisis caused a large amount of capital to flow out of the country.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

流liúflow away
失shīlose

"流" and "失" both point to something moving away and being lost.

Characters in this word

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
㐬
㐬㐬流liú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

流 has 水, water, and 㐬, which gives the sound. The water part matches meanings such as flow.

Open 流 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Change & Process

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