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落空 (luò kōng) — to come to nothing; to fail (of plans, hopes, expectations)

Definition

Used when a plan, hope, or expectation ends in nothing — 'falls through' or 'comes to nothing.' Often used with 计划, 希望, 梦想, 期望 as the subject; in narrative it can split as 落了空.

verb
to come to nothingto fail (of plans, hopes, expectations)

Examples

  • 落空。
    Tā de liú xué jì huà zuì zhōng luò kōng le.
    His study-abroad plan ultimately fell through.
  • 。
    Dà jiā de xī wàng quán dōu luò le kōng.
    Everyone's hopes were completely dashed.
  • ，落空。
    Zhǐ yào nǔ lì zhǔn bèi, nǐ de mèng xiǎng jiù bú huì luò kōng.
    As long as you prepare hard, your dream won't come to nothing.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

落luòfall
空kōngempty

落 means fall and 空 means empty, so plans or hopes fall into emptiness.

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
艹Written in full as艸cǎo
Sound part声符shēngfú
洛
洛luò落luò
Same sound today

落 pairs 艹 with 洛; 洛 gives the sound, and 艹 relates to the meaning.

Open 落 →

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
穴穴xuécave, hole
Sound part声符shēngfú
工
工gōng空kōng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

空 is built from 穴, a cave or hole, and 工, which gives the sound.

Open 空 →
Appears in
Success & Failure

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