夭折 (yāo shé) — to die young, to die prematurely; (figurative) to come to a premature end, to be aborted (of a project, plan, etc.)
Definition
夭折 (yāo shé) literally means 'to die young' (a child or young person), and is figuratively used for projects, plans, or movements that end before maturing. It is a formal, written word — not used in casual speech.
verb
to die youngto die prematurely(figurative) to come to a premature endto be aborted (of a project, plan, etc.)
Examples
- 夭折。Nà ge hái zi bú dào liǎng suì jiù yāo shé le.That child died young before reaching two years old.
- 夭折。Zhè ge chuàng yè xiàng mù yīn wèi zī jīn wèn tí yāo shé le.This startup project came to a premature end due to funding issues.
- 夭折。Zhàn zhēng ràng xǔ duō nián qīng de shēng mìng yāo shé le.The war caused many young lives to be cut short.
Appears in
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.