Definitions

kuī (noun) deficit; loss
kuī (adverb) fortunately; luckily

Etymology

Originally the same character as , depicting a musical wind instrument with a reed, which is now written as . The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

About

The traditional character 虧, representing concepts such as deficit and loss, is structurally composed of the components 虍 and 雐, with the latter historically contributing to its phonetic value. This character originally conveyed notions of inadequacy or being deficient. In contrast, the simplified form 亏 has a distinct etymological origin as an ancient variant of the character 于, where it functioned primarily as a grammatical particle or an exclamation in classical usage. Through its adoption as the simplified equivalent of 虧, the character 亏 inherited the semantic field related to loss and shortage, resulting in a shift from its earlier grammatical role to carrying concrete lexical meaning in modern Chinese.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Mid Spring and Autumn (~600 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Mid Warring States (~300 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Warring States (475-221 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Early Warring States (~400 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这家店本了。

Zhè jiā diàn kuīběn le.

This shop is at a loss.

他做生意了钱。

Tā zuò shēngyì kuī le qián.

He lost money in business.

你的帮助。

Duōkuī nǐ de bāngzhù.

Thanks to your help.

我带了伞。

Xìngkuī wǒ dài le sǎn.

Fortunately, I brought an umbrella.

你不能待朋友。

Nǐ bù néng kuīdài péngyǒu.

You can't treat friends unfairly.

这次投资了不少。

Zhè cì tóuzī kuī le bùshǎo.

This investment lost a lot.

得你提醒,我才没忘记。

Kuīde nǐ tíxǐng, wǒ cái méi wàngjì.

Thanks to your reminder, I didn't forget.

尽管市场不好,但他没有本。

Jǐnguǎn shìchǎng bù hǎo, dàn tā méiyǒu kuīběn.

Even though the market is bad, he didn't suffer a loss.