疏忽

• Pinyin: shū hu
• Hanzi breakdown: 疏 = 疋 + 流 variant (sparse; loose; negligent); 忽 = 心 + 勿 (heart + not — to neglect; careless)

Meaning

To neglect; to overlook; carelessness; negligence.

A verb and noun meaning negligent oversight or careless inattention, usually with negative consequences. Implies a failure of due care rather than deliberate wrongdoing. Common in legal, professional, and safety contexts. Key collocations: 工作疏忽 (negligence at work); 疏忽大意 (carelessness and negligence); 一时疏忽 (a momentary lapse of attention).

Examples

1. 调查报告指出，事故根源在于值班人员对警报的疏忽，也在于企业长期安全松弛。 The investigation report noted that the root cause of the accident was the on-duty staff’s negligence in responding to the alarm, as well as the company’s long-term lax approach to safety.
2. 医疗事故鉴定委员会认定，主治医师在开具处方时疏忽了患者的药物过敏史，这一疏忽构成了导致严重不良后果的直接诱因。 The medical incident review board determined that the attending physician overlooked the patient’s drug-allergy history when writing the prescription, and that oversight was a direct trigger for the serious adverse outcome.
3. 即使是最有经验的编辑，在长时间高强度工作之后也难免出现疏忽，因此多轮审校程序和同行交叉复核机制是专业出版流程中不可省略的质控环节。 Even the most experienced editors can slip after long periods of intense work, which is why multiple rounds of review and cross-checking by peers are indispensable quality-control steps in professional publishing.

Usage Guide

Context: safety, law, professional standards, quality control

Tone: cautionary

Do Say

• 在涉及人身安全和公共利益的领域，疏忽不能以忙碌或疲劳为借口。(In fields involving personal safety and the public interest, negligence cannot be excused by busyness or fatigue.)
• 数据安全管理中的疏忽，往往比主动攻击更严重，因为它会造成大规模暴露。(Negligence in data security management is often more serious than active attacks, because it can cause large-scale exposure.)

Don't Say

• 疏忽 for deliberate wrongdoing or intentional misconduct — use 故意 (intentional) or 蓄意 (premeditated) instead; 疏忽 specifically implies unintentional carelessness, and using it for deliberate acts would fundamentally mischaracterise the nature of the wrongdoing, with significant legal implications

Origin & History

疏 (sparse; loose; negligent) + 忽 (to neglect; suddenly — 心 heart + 勿 not; not attending to the heart — careless)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal