失Tone 1

shī ｜ 5 strokes ｜ radical: 大

失 · shī

To lose;

to miss;

to fail;

to err;

to let slip;

loss;

mistake.

To loseto missto fail

Usage highlights

To loseLossTo failMistakeTo disappointTo lose control

Synonyms

丢— to lose, to throw
落— to fall, to drop
丧— to lose, to forfeit

Antonyms

得— to gain, to obtain
获— to acquire, to harvest
赢— to win

Usage & contexts

Examples

I lost my keys (丢失钥匙).
He missed the opportunity (失去机会).
She made a mistake (失误).
The experiment failed (失败).

Collocations

To lose(失去)
Loss(损失)
To fail(失败)
Mistake(失误)
To disappoint(失望)
To lose control(失控)

Idioms

To lose the east but gain the west(失之东隅，收之桑榆)
To lose at sunrise but gain at sunset(失之东隅，收之桑榆)
To lose both this and that(失此失彼)
Gain and loss, success and failure(得失成败)
To lose one's head in a crisis(惊慌失措)

Cultural background

In traditional Chinese philosophy, 'loss' (失) is often contrasted with 'gain' (得) in discussions of fortune and misfortune.
The character appears in many cautionary idioms about the consequences of carelessness or poor judgment.
In martial arts and strategy, concepts like 失势 (losing advantage) and 失机 (missing an opportunity) are important.

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