脱发 (tuō fà) — to lose one's hair, to go bald

Definition

Refers to losing hair or going bald — used as a noun for the condition of hair loss itself (e.g. 治疗脱发), not just the action of shedding.

verb

to lose one's hairto go bald

，。
Tā zuì jìn gōng zuò yā lì dà, tuō le hěn duō fā.
He has been under a lot of work pressure lately and lost a lot of hair.
脱发。
tuō fà Shì hěn duō nián qīng rén dān xīn de wèn tí.
Hair loss is a concern for many young people.
脱发。
Yī shēng jiàn yì tā zǎo diǎn zhì liáo tuō fà.
The doctor advised him to treat his hair loss early.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

脱 and 发 combine to mean losing hair.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 脫; 脱 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

⺼Written in full as肉ròu

Sound part声符shēngfú

兌

兌duì脫tuō

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

The traditional form 脫 puts ⺼ (meat) beside 兌, which gives the sound; the simplified 脱 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical pieces.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 發; 发 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 发 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (爆发, 出发) it is 發; in others (理发, 头发) it is 髮.

The form 發, which 发 stands for in many words, was originally drawn as a bow firing an arrow.

Appears in