失败

shī bài

HSK 2.0 Level 4 HSK 3.0 Level 4 Verb Common

Definitions

1. to be defeated
2. to lose
3. to fail (e.g. experiments)
4. failure
5. defeat

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Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item

成功

chéng gōng

Chenggong or Chengkung town in Taitung County 臺東縣|台东县[tái dōng xiàn], southeast Taiwan

Related words

2 items

胜利

shèng lì

victory

When referring to winning versus losing in a competition or battle.

挫折

cuò zhé

setback

Refers to setbacks or frustrations, not necessarily total defeat.

Synonyms

1 item

失利

shī lì

to lose

For losing a contest or competition; more formal.

Usage notes

Collocations

失败 is often used with 遭到 (zāo dào) or 导致 (dǎo zhì), e.g., 遭到失败 (to suffer defeat), 导致失败 (to lead to failure).

Common mistakes

Do not use 失败 to describe a person as 'a failure' in Chinese; use 失败者 (shībài zhě) instead.

Example Sentences

5 shown

失败的原因是什么？

What is the reason for the failure?

失败并不意味着结束。

Failure doesn't mean the end.

这次失败可能成为新的契机。

This failure may become a new turning point.

这次失败是对我们的考验。

This failure is a test for us.

他把失败归结为缺乏经验。

He attributed the failure to a lack of experience.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 失败

以失败而告终

yǐ shī bài ér gào zhōng

to succeed through failure

失败主义

shī bài zhǔ yì

defeatism

失败是成功之母

shī bài shì chéng gōng zhī mǔ

Failure is the mother of success.

loser

utter failure

to fail at every step of the way (idiom)

Child Words of 失败

to defeat