失灵

• Pinyin: shī líng
• Hanzi breakdown: 失 = 手 + 乙 (to lose, to slip); 灵 = 雨 + 口 + 工 (spirit, efficacy, responsiveness)

Meaning

To stop functioning; to malfunction; to fail — said of a mechanical device, system, or regulatory mechanism that no longer operates as intended.

Used for equipment, systems, or mechanisms that have broken down or ceased to function. Also used metaphorically for social systems, regulatory frameworks, or bodily functions. Collocations: 制动失灵 (brake failure), 系统失灵 (system failure), 调控失灵 (regulatory failure), 感官失灵 (sensory malfunction). Stronger than 故障 in implying a complete loss of function.

Examples

1. 飞机在降落前突然发现起落架失灵，机长迅速启动紧急预案，最终引导飞机安全迫降在备用跑道上。 Just before landing, the plane suddenly discovered the landing gear had malfunctioned; the captain quickly activated emergency procedures and ultimately guided the plane to a safe emergency landing on an alternate runway.
2. 在长时间高负荷运行后，该数据中心的冷却系统出现失灵迹象，工程师立即实施紧急停机检修。 After running at high load for a long time, the data center’s cooling system showed signs of malfunction, and engineers immediately carried out an emergency shutdown and maintenance.
3. 当市场价格机制失灵时，政府有必要通过行政手段适度干预，以维护正常的市场秩序和消费者权益。 When market pricing mechanisms fail, the government may need to intervene moderately through administrative measures to maintain normal market order and protect consumer rights.

Usage Guide

Context: technology, engineering, aviation, economics, medicine

Tone: urgent

Do Say

• 事故调查报告指出，信号控制系统短暂失灵是导致这起高铁追尾事故的直接原因，相关部门已启动全面系统排查。(The accident investigation report pointed out that a brief malfunction of the signal control system was the direct cause of this high-speed rail rear-end collision; relevant authorities have launched a comprehensive system inspection.)
• 当道德约束与法律监管同时失灵时，金融机构便容易滑入追逐短期暴利而罔顾系统性风险的危险轨道。(When both moral constraints and legal supervision malfunction simultaneously, financial institutions can easily slip into the dangerous path of chasing short-term windfall profits while disregarding systemic risk.)

Don't Say

• 失灵 for a person who is behaving strangely or unpredictably — 失灵 refers to mechanisms, systems, or devices failing to function; use 失常 or 反常 for unusual human behaviour

Origin & History

失 (to lose) + 灵 (efficacy, spirit, responsiveness)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal