缺

quē

夬 + 缶

HSK 3.0Level 4

Definitions

quē (verb,noun) lack; deficiency; shortage

quē (adjective) vacant; missing

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 缶 represents the meaning and 夬 represents the sound.

Semantic: 缶 Phonetic: 夬

About

缺 is a phono-semantic compound: the left side is the radical 缶, meaning 'pottery' or 'earthenware', which points to the original meaning of clay vessels. The right side, 夬 (guài), provides the sound and also means 'to part' or 'fork'. Its earliest recorded meaning was a physical flaw: a chip, crack, or broken piece missing from the rim of a ceramic jar or bowl. From this concrete image, the meaning expanded to any kind of deficiency or imperfection, and eventually to abstract concepts such as a lack of resources, a shortage of staff, a missing component, or a vacant position.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我们缺少食物。

Wǒmen quēshǎo shíwù.

We lack food.

他经常缺课。

Tā jīngcháng quēkè.

He often misses class.

如果你缺钱，我可以借给你。

Rúguǒ nǐ quē qián, wǒ kěyǐ jiè gěi nǐ.

If you lack money, I can lend you some.

昨天他缺勤了。

Zuótiān tā quēqínle.

He was absent yesterday.

你为什么缺了这么多课？

Nǐ wèishéme quēle zhème duō kè?

Why have you missed so many classes?

他不缺朋友。

Tā bù quē péngyou.

He does not lack friends.

她既缺时间又缺钱。

Tā jì quē shíjiān yòu quē qián.

She lacks both time and money.

由于缺乏资金，这个项目被迫暂停了。

Yóuyú quēfá zījīn, zhège xiàngmù bèipò zàntíngle.

Due to lack of funds, this project was forced to suspend.

Related Characters

Component: 夬

Component: 缶

缺