失去

• Pinyin: shī qù
• Hanzi breakdown: 失 = a hand with something slipping away, meaning to lose; 去 = originally depicted a person leaving, meaning to go away

Meaning

To lose; to be deprived of. To no longer have something that was once possessed.

Describes the loss of something valuable or important — opportunities (失去机会), loved ones (失去亲人), health (失去健康), freedom (失去自由), or trust (失去信任). Carries more emotional weight than simply 丢了 (lost a physical object). Not typically used for misplacing everyday items — use 丢 or 找不到 for that.

Examples

1. 他因为迟到失去了那个工作机会。 He lost that job opportunity because he was late.
2. 失去健康才知道健康的重要性。 Only after losing your health do you realise how important it is.
3. 一旦失去了朋友的信任，很难再找回来。 Once you lose a friend's trust, it's very hard to get it back.

Usage Guide

Context: life events, emotions, opportunities, relationships

Tone: regretful

Do Say

• 不要失去信心，一切都会好的。(Don't lose confidence — everything will be fine.)
• 失去了才知道珍惜。(You only learn to cherish things after losing them.)

Don't Say

• 我失去了钥匙。(For losing physical objects like keys, use 丢了 instead of 失去. 失去 is for abstract or significant losses.)

Origin & History

失 means to lose or to miss; 去 means to go away. Together: something has gone away from you — you have lost it.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal