脱落

• Pinyin: tuō luò
• Hanzi breakdown: 脱 = 月 (flesh/body) + 兑 (exchange, shed); 落 = 艹 (grass) + 水 (water) + 各 (each) — leaves falling into water

Meaning

To fall off; to come loose; to detach. Something that was attached separating and dropping away.

Used for physical detachment — paint peeling, hair falling out, teeth loosening, plaster coming off a wall. Also used in medical contexts for tissue detachment (e.g., 视网膜脱落 = retinal detachment). In text, can also describe characters or text being omitted. The detachment is usually unintentional or gradual.

Examples

1. 老楼的外墙涂料大面积脱落，存在安全隐患。 The external wall coating of the old building has peeled off over a large area, creating a safety hazard.
2. 他最近压力太大，头发开始大量脱落。 He has been under too much stress recently, and his hair has started falling out in large amounts.
3. 由于受潮，书页上的油墨部分脱落，文字难以辨认。 Due to moisture damage, some of the ink on the book's pages has faded away, making the text hard to read.

Usage Guide

Context: physical, medical, everyday

Tone: matter-of-fact

Do Say

• 瓷砖脱落可能会造成危险，需要尽快修缮。(Falling tiles can be dangerous and need to be repaired as soon as possible.)
• 视网膜脱落是眼科急症，必须立即就医。(Retinal detachment is an ophthalmic emergency requiring immediate medical attention.)

Don't Say

• 把故意拆除叫做'脱落' (脱落 describes unintentional detachment; deliberate removal is 拆除 or 取下)

Origin & History

Compound of 脱 (come off, shed) + 落 (fall, drop). Both characters reinforce the idea of something falling away from its original attachment.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal