Definitions
(verb)
to lose; to throw
Etymology
A horizontal line, depicting an item being discarded, added to the semantically similar character 去 (leave; go).
About
The character 丢, whose traditional form is 丟, is structurally a combination that visually conveys its core meaning. Its traditional form places the component 厶, which some analyses interpret as a distortion of 刀 (knife) or a representation of an object, above 去 (to go), creating the idea of causing an object to go away, which is the essential act of throwing or discarding. Over time, this primary sense of physically casting something aside naturally extended into more figurative territories, encompassing the loss or misplacement of objects not through deliberate action but through carelessness. This semantic expansion further broadened to include abstract concepts, such as the dissipation of intangible qualities or the idea of abandoning or leaving behind, as in discarding old habits. Thus, the character's journey reflects a logical progression from a concrete, action-oriented verb to one that accommodates both accidental loss and metaphorical abandonment.
Example Sentences Hide
我丢了一支笔。
他丢掉了旧书包。
别丢垃圾在地上。
我昨天丢失了钱包。
这件事让他很丢脸。
如果不小心，你会丢钥匙。
我把手机丢在出租车上了。
这次失败不会让他丢掉信心。