The Chinese word **丧气** is formed through a morphological process of compounding, combining the character **丧** (sàng), which primarily means "to lose" or conveys a sense of mourning and defeat, with **气** (qì), meaning "air," "spirit," or "energy." Literally, it suggests "lost spirit" or "defeated energy," a metaphorical construction where the abstract concept of morale (*qì*) is depicted as something that can be lost or forfeited (*sàng*). Over time, this literal sense has evolved into a stable adjective and verb phrase meaning "dispirited," "dejected," or "to feel discouraged," where the combined meaning is idiomatic and greater than the simple sum of its parts.