弱

ruò

冫 + 弓

HSK 2.0Level 5

HSK 3.0Level 5

Definitions

ruò (adjective) weak; feeble

ruò (adjective) young

ruò (adjective) inferior

ruò (adverb) slightly less than

Etymology

Depicts two people urinating (尿). Based on the original meaning "urinate", now written as 尿/溺. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

About

The character 弱 originally depicted two people urinating (尿), conveying the meaning "urinate". This original sense is now written with the characters 尿 or 溺, while 弱 was borrowed phonetically to represent the modern meaning "weak".

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

她的身体很弱。

Tā de shēntǐ hěn ruò.

Her body is very weak.

这是我的一个弱点。

Zhè shì wǒ de yí gè ruòdiǎn.

This is one of my weaknesses.

婴儿的骨骼非常脆弱。

Yīng'ér de gǔgé fēicháng cuìruò.

An infant's bones are extremely fragile.

光线在逐渐减弱。

Guāngxiàn zài zhújiàn jiǎnruò.

The light is gradually weakening.

我们要帮助弱势群体。

Wǒmen yào bāngzhù ruòshì qúntǐ.

We need to help the disadvantaged groups.

这场雨势并没有减弱的迹象。

Zhè chǎng yǔshì bìng méiyǒu jiǎnruò de jìxiàng.

There is no sign of this rain weakening.

他的论点论据不足，显得很薄弱。

Tā de lùndiǎn lùnjù bùzú, xiǎnde hěn bóruò.

His argument lacks sufficient evidence and appears very weak.

在自然界，弱肉强食是基本法则之一。

Zài zìránjiè, ruò ròu qiáng shí shì jīběn fǎzé zhī yī.

In nature, the law of the jungle is one of the fundamental rules.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 冫

Component: 弓

弱