衰竭

• Pinyin: shuāi jié
• Hanzi breakdown: 衰 = 亠 + 口 + 衣 (decline); 竭 = 立 + 曰 + 皿 (exhaust)

Meaning

To fail completely; to become exhausted. Refers to the total failure or depletion of bodily systems or vital functions.

A medical term for organ failure, as in 心力衰竭 (heart failure) or 肾衰竭 (kidney failure). Also used for resource depletion in academic and scientific contexts.

Examples

1. 他的肾脏因长期疾病而逐渐衰竭。 His kidneys gradually failed after years of chronic illness.
2. 医生竭力防止患者的器官功能进一步衰竭。 The doctors did everything they could to prevent the patient’s organ function from failing further.
3. 过度劳累可能导致身体机能全面衰竭。 Extreme overwork can cause a complete breakdown of the body’s functions.

Usage Guide

Context: medical, academic

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 手术后，医生密切监测患者是否出现器官衰竭的迹象。(After the operation, the doctor closely monitored the patient for signs of organ failure.)
• 大量失血可能导致循环系统衰竭，危及生命。(Massive blood loss can lead to circulatory system failure, endangering life.)

Don't Say

• 我今天累得衰竭了 — use 精疲力竭 or 筋疲力尽 for everyday fatigue; 衰竭 is reserved for serious physiological failure

Origin & History

衰 (decline) + 竭 (exhaust completely)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal