失利

• Pinyin: shī lì
• Hanzi breakdown: 失 = 手 + 乙 (to lose, let slip); 利 = 禾 + 刀 (advantage, gain, a sharp edge)

Meaning

To suffer a defeat; to lose in a contest or competition — used for military battles, sports matches, and significant competitive engagements.

More formal and literary than 输, and typically used for significant competitive or military contexts. Carries a tone of consequence and seriousness. Common collocations: 首战失利 (lose the first battle), 连续失利 (suffer consecutive defeats), 在竞争中失利 (lose out in competition). Opposite: 告捷 (win a decisive victory).

Examples

1. 球队在联赛首轮意外失利，主教练随即召集全队进行紧急复盘，针对暴露出的防守漏洞展开专项训练。 The team suffered an unexpected defeat in the first round of the league, and the head coach immediately called everyone together for an emergency review and ran targeted training to address the defensive gaps that were exposed.
2. 这支历史名将辈出的军队在一场关键战役中失利，不得不重新审视战略部署，调整整体进攻方向。 This once-legendary army suffered a defeat in a pivotal battle and had to reexamine its strategic deployment and adjust its overall offensive direction.
3. 初创企业在激烈的市场竞争中失利，并不意味着一蹶不振，关键在于能否迅速汲取教训并及时调整战略。 A startup losing in fierce market competition doesn’t mean it’s finished; what matters is whether it can quickly learn lessons and adjust its strategy in time.

Usage Guide

Context: sports, military, business, competition

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 该代表队在半决赛中以微弱分差失利，未能晋级决赛，这一结果令国内球迷深感遗憾，也引发了外界对球队选拔机制的广泛讨论。(The national team lost by a narrow margin in the semi-finals and failed to advance to the final; this result left fans deeply disappointed and sparked widespread discussion about the team's selection mechanism.)
• 历史上多次在关键战役中失利的将领往往能从失败中汲取深刻教训，磨砺出更为成熟的军事谋略，最终在日后的战争中取得决定性胜利。(Commanders who suffered defeat in key battles throughout history were often able to draw profound lessons from failure, honing more mature military strategies and ultimately achieving decisive victories in subsequent conflicts.)

Don't Say

• 失利 for minor everyday setbacks such as failing a small test or losing a casual game — 失利 is reserved for significant competitive or strategic defeats; use 失败 or 输了 for general, everyday losses

Origin & History

失 (to lose) + 利 (advantage, victory, benefit)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal