弱 (ruò): weak, feeble, young, inferior, not as good as
弱 (ruò) is a Chinese character meaning “weak.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), with radical 弓 (bow). It ranks #1037 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 弱 two shoots 弓 dying to frost 冫. Its radical form 弓 (bow) appears in many related characters such as 弟 (dì, younger brother), 张 (zhāng, to open up), 强 (qiáng, stubborn).
Definitions
- weak
- feeble
- young
- inferior
- not as good as
Etymology & Origin
ideographicTwo shoots 弓 dying to frost 冫
Decomposition: ⿰⿹弓冫⿹弓冫 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 弱 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 弱
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 脆弱adjective | cuì ruò | weak | 6 |
| 弱点noun | ruò diǎn | weak point | 6 |
| 减弱verb | jiǎn ruò | to weaken | 6 |
| 薄弱adjective | bó ruò | weak | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 软弱 | ruǎn ruò | weak |
| 虚弱 | xū ruò | weak |
| 弱智 | ruò zhì | weak-minded |
| 懦弱 | nuò ruò | cowardly |
| 弱小 | ruò xiǎo | small and weak |
| 微弱 | wēi ruò | weak |
| 削弱 | xuē ruò | to weaken |
| 柔弱 | róu ruò | weak |
| 弱势 | ruò shì | vulnerable |
| 衰弱 | shuāi ruò | weak |
| 瘦弱 | shòu ruò | thin and weak |
| 示弱 | shì ruò | not to fight back |
| 弱肉强食 | ruò ròu qiáng shí | lit. the weak are prey to the strong (idiom) |
| 恃强凌弱 | shì qiáng líng ruò | see 恃強欺弱|恃强欺弱[shi4 qiang2 qi1 ruo4] |
| 弱项 | ruò xiàng | one's weak area |
弱 appears in 67 compound words: 33 as the first character, 55 as the last, and 12 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 弱 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (11)
to support the weak and restrain the strong (idiom); robbing the rich to help the poor
Showing 10 of 11 idioms containing 弱.
Example Sentences
弱字的写法很特别，让我印象深刻。
ruò zì de xiě fǎ hěn tè bié , ràng wǒ yìn xiàng shēn kè .
The way the character "弱" is written is quite unique and left a deep impression on me.
...85A.JP)全日跌逾3.6% 美同业走弱
. . . 8 5 A . J P ) quán rì diē yú 3 . 6 měi tóng yè zǒu ruò
... 85A. JP) fell more than 3.6% throughout the day, and US peers weakened
中泰证券:银行股从“顺周期”到“弱周期” 重点推荐大型银行以及股份行
zhōng tài zhèng quàn : yín háng gǔ cóng shùn zhōu qī dào ruò zhōu qī chóng diǎn tuī jiàn dà xíng yín háng yǐ jí gǔ fèn háng
Zhongtai Securities: Bank stocks from "pro-cyclical" to "weak cycle" focus on recommending large banks and joint-stock banks
你又在欺负弱小了！
Nǐ yòu zài qīfu ruòxiǎo le!
You're bullying someone smaller than you again!
美丽、丑陋、富有、贫穷、强壮和虚弱都是形容词。
Měilì, chǒulòu, fùyǒu, pínqióng, qiángzhuàng hé xūruò dōu shì xíngróngcí.
Beautiful, ugly, rich, poor, strong, and weak are examples of adjectives.
他以前是个柔弱的小孩。
Tā yǐqián shì gè róuruò de xiǎohái.
He was a weak and delicate child.
叫声渐渐地变弱了。
Jiàoshēng jiànjiàn de biàn ruò le.
The sound of shouting grew faint.
软弱的医生使伤口发臭。
Ruǎnruò de yīshēng shǐ shāngkǒu fāchòu.
Soft healers make stinking wounds.
战士知道自己的力量和弱点。
Zhànshì zhīdào zìjǐ de lìliang hé ruòdiǎn.
The warrior is conscious of both his strength and his weakness.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 弱 (ruò) mean in Chinese?
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What is the radical of 弱?
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Is 弱 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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