缺口 (quē kǒu) — a gap, nick, or jag in a physical surface; a sh…

Definition

缺口 covers both senses: a physical nick/gap in a surface and a shortfall (budget, personnel, time). For a financial deficit specifically, prefer 赤字.

noun

a gapnickor jag in a physical surfacea shortfalldeficitor gap (in budget, time, personnel, etc.)

Measure word · 个

缺口。
Zhè bǎ dāo yǒu le yí gè quē kǒu.
This knife has a nick in it.
缺口。
Jīn nián de rén lì quē kǒu hěn dà.
There's a big personnel shortfall this year.
缺口。
Shān shàng de quē kǒu xū yào jǐn kuài xiū bǔ.
The gap in the mountain needs to be repaired as soon as possible.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

“缺” describes something missing, and “口” names an opening, giving a gap or nick.

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.

缶夬缺

Meaning part形符xíngfú

缶缶fǒuearthen pot

Sound part声符shēngfú

夬

夬guài缺quē

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

缺 pairs 缶, an earthen pot, with 夬, which gives the sound.

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

The form 口 looks like an open mouth.

Appears in