丢

• Pinyin: diū
• Hanzi breakdown: 丢 = simplified character depicting losing or dropping

Meaning

To lose; to throw away; to misplace. To no longer have something or to discard it.

Can mean unintentionally losing something (丢钥匙 - lose keys) or intentionally discarding (丢垃圾 - throw away trash). Also used in expressions like 丢脸 (lose face), 丢人 (embarrassing).

Examples

1. 糟糕，我把钱包丢在出租车上了。 Oh no, I left my wallet in the taxi.
2. 这些旧衣服不要了，直接丢掉吧。 We don't need these old clothes anymore — just throw them away.
3. 在公共场合大声喧哗很丢人。 Being loud in public is embarrassing.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, casual

Tone: colloquial

Do Say

• 钥匙丢了。(I lost my keys.)
• 把垃圾丢掉。(Throw away the garbage.)

Don't Say

• '丢'是口语——正式场合说'遗失'(lost)或'丢弃'(discard)更合适 (丢 is colloquial — in formal situations, 遗失 for lost or 丢弃 for discard is more appropriate)

Origin & History

Simplified from 丟, originally depicting a hand dropping or releasing something.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal