缺 (quē): deficiency, lack, scarce
缺 (quē) is a Chinese character meaning “deficiency.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 缶 (semantic) and 夬 (phonetic). It ranks #875 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 缺 jar. Its radical form 缶 (jar) appears in many related characters such as 缸 (gāng, jar), 罐 (guàn, can).
Definitions
- deficiency
- lack
- scarce
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 缺 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 缺
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 缺乏verb | quē fá | to lack | 5 |
| 缺少verb | quē shǎo | lack | 4 |
| 缺点noun | quē diǎn | weak point | 4 |
| 缺陷noun | quē xiàn | defect | 6 |
| 短缺verb | duǎn quē | shortage | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 缺席 | quē xí | to be absent |
| 空缺 | kòng quē | vacancy |
| 完美无缺 | wán měi wú quē | perfect and without blemish |
| 缺口 | quē kǒu | nick |
| 缺失 | quē shī | lack |
| 缺德 | quē dé | mean |
| 欠缺 | qiàn quē | to be deficient in |
| 缺氧 | quē yǎng | lacking oxygen |
| 不可或缺 | bù kě huò quē | necessary |
| 残缺 | cán quē | badly damaged |
| 缺水 | quē shuǐ | water shortage |
| 缺损 | quē sǔn | defective |
| 紧缺 | jǐn quē | in short supply |
| 稀缺 | xī quē | scarce |
| 缺憾 | quē hàn | a regret |
缺 appears in 86 compound words: 43 as the first character, 37 as the last, and 20 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 缺 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (13)
perfect; excellent and intact; without any deficiency; leave nothing to be desired
perfect; excellent and intact; without any deficiency; leave nothing to be desired
Showing 10 of 13 idioms containing 缺.
Example Sentences
缺字由10笔画组成，结构很巧妙。
quē zì yóu bǐ huà zǔ chéng , jié gòu hěn qiǎo miào .
The character "缺" consists of ten strokes and has a very ingenious structure.
...须本地实地招聘初级厨师及待应 1500空缺仅9人受聘
. . . xū běn dì shí dì zhāo pìn chū jí chú shī jí dài yīng 1 5 0 0 kōng quē jǐn 9 rén shòu pìn
... Only 9 junior chefs are required to be recruited locally and only 9 vacancies are waiting to be filled
...计画增加部署先进飞弹 菲军方:助填补战力缺口
. . . jì huà zēng jiā bù shǔ xiān jìn fēi dàn 菲 jūn fāng : zhù tián bǔ zhàn lì quē kǒu
... Plans to increase the deployment of advanced missiles Philippine military: help fill the gap in combat power
台美协定卡关 曝制度缺口
tái měi xié dìng kǎ guān pù zhì dù quē kǒu
The Taiwan-US agreement is stuck and exposes the system gap
京都浴屏设计独特 告别传统浴帘缺点
jīng dōu yù bǐng shè jì dú tè gào bié chuán tǒng yù lián quē diǎn
Kyoto's bath screen design is unique, say goodbye to the shortcomings of traditional shower curtains
研究表明:监管缺失的商业航天活动正成为大气污染新威胁
yán jiū biǎo míng : jiān guǎn quē shī de shāng yè háng tiān huó dòng zhèng chéng wéi dà qì wū rǎn xīn wēi xié
Research shows that commercial space activities without regulation are becoming a new threat to air pollution
你怎么解释你缺席的原因？
Nǐ zěnme jiěshì nǐ quēxí de yuányīn?
How do you account for your absence?
你认为汤姆和玛丽昨天为什么缺席了？。
Nǐ rènwéi Tāngmǔ hé Mǎlì zuótiān wèishénme quēxí le?.
Why do you think Tom and Mary were absent yesterday?
书和朋友应该是宁缺毋滥。
Shū hé péngyou yīnggāi shì nìngquēwúlàn.
Books and friends should be few but good.
现在正缺良好的建筑木材。
Xiànzài zhèng quē liánghǎo de jiànzhù mùcái.
There is a shortage of good building wood.
Character Family
缶 Radical Family — Characters sharing the jar radical
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 缺 (quē) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 缺 and 块?
How many strokes does 缺 have?
What is the radical of 缺?
What are the components of 缺?
What are common words containing 缺?
What characters sound the same as 缺 (quē)?
Is 缺 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 缺 with real-time feedback
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