虚脱 (xū tuō) — to collapse (v.); collapse (n.) (medical, from…

Definition

Used for collapse from exhaustion, dehydration, or heatstroke — not the kind of falling down (摔倒) or fainting (晕倒) from other causes.

to collapse (v.)collapse (n.) (medical, from exhaustion, dehydration, or heatstroke)

虚脱。
Tā yīn wèi zhòng shǔ ér xū tuō le.
He collapsed from heatstroke.
虚脱，。
Yī shēng shuō tā zhǐ shì qīng dù xū tuō, xiū xi yí xià jiù hǎo.
The doctor said it's just a mild collapse; he'll be fine after some rest.
虚脱。
Zài gāo wēn xià gōng zuò hěn róng yì dǎo zhì xū tuō.
Working in high temperatures can easily lead to collapse.

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.

脱tuōcollapse

“虚” indicates weakness and “脱” indicates collapse, together mean medical collapse.

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

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.

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.