亏 (kuī) - to lose & to be deficient

亏Tone 1

kuī ｜ 3 strokes ｜ radical: 一

俊梁

亏 · kuī

to lose;

to be deficient;

to treat unfairly;

fortunately;

luckily (used in rhetorical questions or to express relief)

to loseto be deficientto treat unfairly

Usage highlights

to suffer a lossfinancial lossfortunatelyto be deficientto be in deficitluckily

Synonyms

  • 损— loss, damage
  • 欠— owe, be deficient

Antonyms

  • 盈— surplus, profit
  • 赚— earn, profit

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The company suffered a loss this quarter (公司亏损).
  • Fortunately you came (多亏你来了).
  • He was treated unfairly (他吃亏了).
  • This is really not easy (真不容易, 亏你能做到).

Collocations

  • to suffer a loss(吃亏)
  • financial loss(亏损)
  • fortunately(多亏)
  • to be deficient(亏欠)
  • to be in deficit(亏空)
  • luckily(幸亏)

Idioms

  • To suffer a loss but gain wisdom(吃一堑，长一智)
  • To make up for deficits(扭亏为盈)
  • To be full of oneself without reason(理亏心虚)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally depicted a breath coming out with difficulty, conveying the sense of deficiency or loss.
  • Used in modern Chinese to express relief or luck, often in rhetorical contexts implying something was difficult to achieve.

FAQ