铩 (shā) - To maim or injure by breaking off the & to be defeated or frustrated.

铩Tone 1

shā ｜ 11 strokes ｜ radical:

三姗

铩 · shā

To maim or injure by breaking off the point of a weapon;

to be defeated or frustrated.

To maim or injure by breaking off theto be defeated or frustrated.

Usage highlights

To be defeated and returnTo have one's wings clippedTo break a spearA broken spearTo suffer a setback

Synonyms

  • 挫— to frustrate, defeat
  • 败— to defeat, fail
  • 折— to break, suffer loss

Antonyms

  • 胜— to win, succeed
  • 成— to succeed, accomplish

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The army was utterly defeated (铩羽而归).
  • The broken spear symbolized his failure (铩羽).
  • He felt frustrated in his ambitions (铩羽而回).

Collocations

  • To be defeated and return(铩羽而归)
  • To have one's wings clipped(铩羽)
  • To break a spear(铩其羽)
  • A broken spear(铩矛)
  • To suffer a setback(铩翼)

Idioms

  • To return with broken wings(铩羽而归)
  • To have one's wings clipped and return(铩羽而回)
  • Broken wings(铩羽)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally referred to damaging a weapon by breaking off its point.
  • Metaphorically extended to mean defeat or frustration, particularly in literary contexts.
  • Often used in classical Chinese to describe military or personal setbacks.

FAQ