失 Stroke Order — How to Write 失
失 is written in 5 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 大, then complete the remaining strokes.
Stroke order matters in Chinese: it keeps the character balanced, and it is how dictionaries and handwriting input methods expect a character to be written.
失 Radical and Character Components
失 is an ideographic compound. Something 丿 falling from a hand 夫.
Radical: 大 + 2 more strokes
失 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- shī
Meanings of 失 in Chinese
1
shī失
To lose; to misplace something.
我不小心遗失了我的钥匙
I accidentally lost my keys.
to break; to fail to keep (a promise, an agreement)
我们不能失信于人。
We must not break our promises to others.
To lose, to be lost, or to go astray (e.g., losing one's way or direction).
他在森林里迷失方向了。
He lost his way in the forest.
To lose control or fail to grasp; to err (e.g., in speech, duty, or balance).
她最近因为工作压力大，作息时间严重失调。
Recently, due to heavy work pressure, her daily routine has been severely out of balance.
To fail to achieve or meet expectations, leading to disappointment or frustration.
他因为失误，感到有些失意
He felt a bit frustrated because of his mistake.
When pronounced 'shī', '失' means an error, mistake, or fault, often used in phrases like '失误' (mistake), '失策' (miscalculation), '过失' (fault), or '失之毫厘，谬以千里' (a miss of a hair's breadth leads to a thousand-mile divergence).
由于团队的沟通失误，项目进度受到了影响
Due to a communication error by the team, the project's progress was affected.
To lose (control, color, balance, etc.); to change from a normal state, often indicating dismay or panic.
她听到这个消息后，顿时花容失色。
Upon hearing the news, her face immediately turned pale with fright.
Common Words and Phrases with 失
1
to fail; to be defeated; not to achieve an expected goal
尽管第一次尝试失败了，他并没有放弃。
Although his first attempt failed, he did not give up.
2
A misstep or a wrong/unwise strategy; a miscalculation or an error in planning.
这次投资的失策导致公司蒙受了巨大损失。
The miscalculation in this investment led to significant losses for the company.
3
Negligence or oversight in one's supervisory duties.
由于部门经理的失察，仓库中堆积的过期商品未能及时处理，造成了一定的损失。
Due to the department manager's oversight, the expired goods accumulated in the warehouse were not processed in time, resulting in some losses.
4
Abnormal; not normal; to be out of the ordinary state or behavior.
这台旧电脑经常失常，需要维修了。
This old computer often malfunctions and needs repair.
5
to fall into disfavour; to be out of favor
那只曾经备受主人喜爱的小猫，因为几次淘气，渐渐失宠了。
That little cat, once deeply loved by its owner, gradually fell out of favor due to several mischievous acts.
6
Lost; no longer handed down from past generations.
许多古老的民间手艺，如果没有人去学习和传承，就可能会彻底失传
Many ancient folk crafts may be completely lost if no one learns and inherits them.
7
8
lose one's head; lose one's presence of mind
面对突发情况，他有些失措，不知道该如何处理。
Confronted with the sudden situation, he was a bit at a loss, unsure how to handle it.
9
a careless mistake or error; a fault
人人都会有失错的时候，重要的是从中学习。
Everyone makes mistakes; what's important is to learn from them.
10
A list of lost articles or properties.
他仔细核对了失单上的每一项，确保没有遗漏。
He carefully checked each item on the list of lost property, ensuring nothing was missed.
11
12
To lose one's way (literally); to deviate from moral principles or justice (figuratively); to be unjust.
一个企业家如果失道，最终会失去员工的信任和市场的尊重。
An entrepreneur who deviates from moral principles will eventually lose the trust of employees and the respect of the market.
13
14
An unjust cause finds scant support.
那家公司因为长期漠视员工福利，损害消费者权益，最终陷入失道寡助的境地，市场份额急剧萎缩。
The company, having long disregarded employee welfare and harmed consumer rights, eventually found itself isolated and unsupported, leading to a sharp decline in its market share.
15
lost territory
他悲痛地看着那片曾经是他们家族失地的田地，如今已被他人占据。
He sadly looked at the field that was once his family's lost land, now occupied by others.
16
to lose; to forfeit
如果不好好保存，你可能会失掉这件珍贵的纪念品。
If you don't preserve it well, you might lose this precious souvenir.
More words with 失
- sǔn损shī失to lose; a loss
- cuò挫shī失Setback, Failure
- lòu漏shī失an error, mistake, or omission
- màn漫shī失dissipation, loss
- wáng亡shī失lost, missing
- yǔ语shī失slip of the tongue, speech error
- shī失lì利defeat, failure
- shī失qù去lose, forfeit
- shī失wàng望disappointment, letdown
- shī失wù误Mistake, Error
- cuò错shī失miss, fail to seize
- diū丢shī失lose, lost
- guò过shī失mistake, error
- shī失mián眠insomnia, sleeplessness
- shī失shēng声lose one's voice, become speechless
- shī失yè业unemployment, unemployed
- shī失zhí职dereliction of duty, neglect of duty
- shī失zhǔ主owner, rightful owner
- xiāo消shī失disappear, vanish
- zǒu走shī失get lost, go missing
Idioms with 失
- shī失ér而fù复dé得lost and found again
- shī失hún魂luò落pò魄utterly distraught and disoriented
- shī失zhī之dōng东yú隅lose at the beginning
- shī失zhī之jiāo交bì臂miss a golden opportunity
- shī失zú足luò落shuǐ水fall into depravity
- àn黯rán然shī失sè色to be overshadowed by comparison
- bǎi百bù不shī失yī一unerringly accurate
- bǎi百wú无shī失yī一absolutely infallible
- bǎi百wú无yī一shī失absolutely foolproof
- bù不shī失shí时jī机seize the opportune moment
- cāng仓huáng皇shī失cuò措flustered and at a loss
- chàng怅rán然ruò若shī失lost and frustrated
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Open the tool →Questions about 失
What does 失 mean in Chinese?
失 (shī) means “To lose” in Chinese.
How do you pronounce 失?
失 is pronounced shī in Mandarin Chinese.
How many strokes does 失 have?
失 has 5 strokes.
How do you write 失?
失 is written in 5 strokes, starting from the radical 大. See the animated stroke order on this page.
What is the radical of 失?
The radical of 失 is 大, and 失 is an ideographic compound.