缺乏

quē fá

verb★Intermediate💡 to lack

formal

to be lacking; to not have enough of something

这个地区缺乏足够的医疗资源。

The region lacks sufficient medical resources.

💡

Often used with abstract nouns such as 经验, 资源, 能力, 资金.

Collocations

缺乏经验lack of experience缺乏资金lack of funds缺乏动力lack of motivation

lacking; deficient

Prefer 缺乏 with abstract concepts (e.g., 经验, 资源) and use 缺少 for tangible items (e.g., 食物, 人手).

When writing formal reports or academic papers, choose 缺乏 over 缺少 for a more precise, formal tone.

Compound of 缺 ‘to be missing, gap’ and 乏 ‘insufficient, lacking’; together they convey the sense of lacking something.

Used mainly in formal or written contexts and with abstract nouns. For concrete objects, 缺少 is more common.

缺

missing, gap

root

乏

insufficient, lacking

root

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