衰

cuī, shuāi

一 + 亠 + 口 + 𧘇

Definitions

shuāi (verb) to decline; to weaken; to deteriorate

shuāi (adjective) unlucky; unfortunate

cuī (noun) mourning clothes

Etymology

Depicts a woven raincoat (衣) made from either grass or straw. Based on the original meaning "raincoat made from straw or grass", now written as 蓑. The meaning later shifted to "weaken" and "decline".

About

The character 衰 is formed by the clothing radical 衣 (yī) split into top and bottom parts, enclosing 冉 (rǎn) as a phonetic and semantic component. It originally depicted a woven raincoat made from straw or grass, a meaning now represented by the character 蓑. Over time, the sense shifted to "weaken" and "decline" (pronounced shuāi), moving from the concrete garment to abstract notions of deterioration.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Western Zhou (1045-771 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

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

他的身体很衰弱。

Tā de shēntǐ hěn shuāiruò.

His body is very weak.

经济正在衰退。

Jīngjì zhèngzài shuāituì.

The economy is declining.

这个家族已经衰败了。

Zhège jiāzú yǐjīng shuāibài le.

This family has already declined.

她的精力逐渐衰弱。

Tā de jīnglì zhújiàn shuāiruò.

Her energy is gradually weakening.

避免肌肉衰老很重要。

Bìmiǎn jīròu shuāilǎo hěn zhòngyào.

Avoiding muscle aging is very important.

文化的衰微令人担忧。

Wénhuà de shuāiwēi lìng rén dānyōu.

The decline of culture is worrying.

历史上王朝的兴衰是常态。

Lìshǐ shàng wángcháo de xīngshuāi shì chángtài.

The rise and fall of dynasties in history is normal.

科学家研究细胞衰老的过程。

Kēxuéjiā yánjiū xìbāo shuāilǎo de guòchéng.

Scientists study the process of cell aging.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 一

Component: 亠

Component: 口

Component: 𧘇

衰