失 shī — to lose; to miss; to fail
我把钥匙丢失了。Wǒ bǎ yào shi diū shī le.I lost my keys.
Common words: 失去 (shī qù)、消失 (xiāo shī)、失败 (shī bài)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to fail"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to fail", including 失 (shī), 倒 (dǎo / dào). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to fail" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 失 (shī), 倒 (dǎo / dào) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span shī, dǎo, dào — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 失 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 失 shīto lose; to miss; to failUseful words: 失去, 消失
- 倒 dǎo / dàoto fall; to collapse; to topple; to change; to fail; bankruptUseful words: 倒闭, 倒车
Common words for these 2 "to fail" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 失 (shī) — so "to fail" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "to fail".
倒 dǎo / dào — to fall; to collapse; to topple; to change; to fail; bankrupt
请帮我倒一杯水。Qǐng bāng wǒ dào yì bēi shuǐ.Please pour me a glass of water.
Common words: 倒闭 (dǎo bì)、倒车 (dǎo chē)、倒是 (dào shi)
All 2 characters
Open 失、倒 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.