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衰败 (shuāi bài) — to decline (in power, prosperity, or condition); to wither; to decay

Definition

Formal written verb for a long, downward slide of an entity's power, fortune, or condition — stronger and more literary than the everyday 下降 (xiàjiàng). Common in essays and reports about economies, families, or nations.

verb
to decline (in power, prosperity, or condition)to witherto decay

Examples

  • 衰败。
    Nà ge céng jīng huī huáng de chéng shì zhú jiàn shuāi bài le.
    That once glorious city gradually declined.
  • 衰败。
    Jīng jì shuāi bài wǎng wǎng bàn suí zhe shè huì dòng dàng.
    Economic decline is often accompanied by social unrest.
  • 衰败，。
    Jiā dào shuāi bài zhī hòu, tā bù dé bú wài chū móu shēng.
    After his family fortunes declined, he had to go out and make a living.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

衰shuāidecline
败bàidecay

衰 and 败 both suggest weakening or decay, giving a sense of decline.

Characters in this word

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

The old form of 衰 pictures a palm-fiber raincoat, a garment later written with another character.

Open 衰 →

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 敗; 败 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
攵Written in full as攴pūstrike
Sound part声符shēngfú
貝
貝bèi敗bài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 敗 has 貝 as the sound component and 攴 (written 攵) meaning strike. The simplified 败 is a later abbreviation, so its parts are not the original components.

Open 败 →
Appears in
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