丧失

• Pinyin: sàng shī
• Hanzi breakdown: 丧 = mourning, to lose; 失 = to lose, miss — compound emphasizing loss

Meaning

To lose; to forfeit; to be deprived of. A formal term for losing something important or abstract.

More formal than 失去 and typically used for significant losses such as abilities, rights, confidence, or opportunities. Common collocations include 丧失信心 (lose confidence), 丧失理智 (lose one's mind), and 丧失劳动能力 (lose the ability to work). Carries a serious, often negative connotation.

Examples

1. 连续的失败让他丧失了继续奋斗的信心。 Repeated failures made him lose confidence to keep striving.
2. 这场事故使他丧失了部分行动能力。 This accident caused him to lose some of his mobility.
3. 一旦丧失诚信，很难重新赢得别人的信任。 Once you lose your credibility, it's hard to regain others' trust.

Usage Guide

Context: serious, official, written

Tone: grave

Do Say

• 他丧失了记忆。(He lost his memory.)
• 不要丧失希望。(Don't lose hope.)

Don't Say

• 日常小事不用'丧失' (Don't use 丧失 for everyday small losses — saying 我丧失了我的钥匙 sounds overly dramatic; just say 我丢了钥匙)

Origin & History

Compound of 丧 (to lose, mourning) + 失 (to lose, miss). Both characters relate to loss, emphasizing the severity of deprivation.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal