Looking up...
失去
shī qù
lose
他失去了工作，感到非常沮丧。
He lost his job and felt very frustrated.
formal
To no longer possess or have something; to fail to keep or maintain.
她失去了信心，决定放弃。
She lost confidence and decided to give up.
这场比赛他们失去了最后的机会。
They lost their last chance in the game.
Commonly used in contexts involving loss of tangible or intangible things (e.g., jobs, relationships, opportunities).
literary
To die or perish.
他失去了战友，心中充满悲痛。
He lost his comrade and was filled with grief.
Used in poetic or elevated language to describe death.
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Distinguish from '丢失'
'失去' focuses on the emotional or psychological consequence of loss (e.g., '失去希望' / lose hope), while '丢失' refers to physical loss (e.g., '丢失钥匙' / lose keys).
Gold Rule
Use with abstract nouns
Prefer '失去' for abstract losses like '信心' (confidence), '机会' (opportunity), or '自由' (freedom). For physical objects, use '丢失' or '遗失'.
Word Origin
The character '失' (shī) originally depicted a hand dropping an object, suggesting 'to lose' or 'to drop'. '去' (qù) means 'to go' or 'to leave'. Combined, '失去' metaphorically implies something slipping away or departing from possession.
Usage Notes
Unlike '丢失' (to lose something physically), '失去' emphasizes the emotional or psychological impact of loss, often referring to intangible things like hope, trust, or opportunity.
Word Breakdown
失
to lose, to drop
root去
to go, to leave
root汉英词典