TongTong
Sign in

虚弱 (xū ruò) — weak; frail; in poor health

Definition

虚弱 describes physical weakness from illness or age — a frail body, voice, or limbs lacking strength. Pairs with bodies and body parts, while 脆弱 is for emotions/objects that break easily.

adjective
weakfrailin poor health

Examples

  • ，虚弱。
    Tā bìng le hěn jiǔ, shēn tǐ hěn xū ruò.
    He has been sick for a long time and his body is very weak.
  • 虚弱，。
    Tā shuō huà de shēng yīn hěn xū ruò, hǎo xiàng méi lì qi.
    Her voice when speaking is very weak, as if she has no strength.
  • ，虚弱。
    Yé ye nián jì dà le, tuǐ jiǎo biàn de xū ruò.
    Grandpa is old, and his legs have become weak.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

虚xūdeficient
弱ruòweak

虚 (deficient) and 弱 (weak) combine to describe poor strength or health.

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 虛; 虚 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
丘丘qiūhill
Sound part声符shēngfú
虍
虍hū虛xū
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 虛 pairs the upper 虍, which gives the sound, with a lower part shaped like 丘, 'hill'; the simplified 虚 is a later shorthand.

Open 虚 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 弓弓gōngbow
  • 彡彡shānhair, meaning "decoration" in this case

弱 pairs 弓 (bow) with 彡 (hair), showing a decorative bow that is functionally inferior, or a shaking, worn-out bow.

Open 弱 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Illness & Symptoms

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