损

損

sǔn

员 + 扌

Definitions

sǔn (verb) to damage; to harm

sǔn (verb) to decrease; to lose

sǔn (adjective) sarcastic; caustic; mean

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 扌 represents the meaning and 员 represents the sound. Simplified form of 損.

Semantic: 扌 Phonetic: 员

About

损 (traditional: 損) is a phono-semantic compound with the hand radical 扌 on the left, indicating an action performed by hand, and the phonetic component 員 on the right, simplified to 员. Its original meaning was to decrease or reduce a quantity. This sense of reduction extended to mean damaging, harming, or causing loss, as such actions subtract value or integrity, aligning with the active role suggested by the hand radical.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我的书损坏了。

Wǒ de shū sǔnhuài le.

My book is damaged.

这次事故损失很大。

Zhè cì shìgù sǔnshī hěn dà.

This accident caused great loss.

过度锻炼会损伤身体。

Guòdù duànliàn huì sǔnshāng shēntǐ.

Excessive exercise can harm the body.

他的言论损害了公司声誉。

Tā de yánlùn sǔnhài le gōngsī shēngyù.

His remarks damaged the company's reputation.

这种行为对环境有损害。

Zhè zhǒng xíngwéi duì huánjìng yǒu sǔnhài.

This behavior is harmful to the environment.

长期熬夜会损耗健康。

Chángqī áoyè huì sǔnhào jiànkāng.

Staying up late for a long time will deplete health.

不公平的贸易条款损害了发展中国家利益。

Bù gōngpíng de màoyì tiáokuǎn sǔnhài le fāzhǎn zhōng guójiā lìyì.

Unfair trade terms harm the interests of developing countries.

过度开采矿产资源会严重损害生态环境。

Guòdù kāicǎi kuàngchān zīyuán huì yánzhòng sǔnhài shēngtài huánjìng.

Over-exploitation of mineral resources will seriously damage the ecological environment.

Related Characters

Component: 员

Component: 扌

损