衰 (shuāi): (bound form) to decay, to decline, to wane
衰 (shuāi) is a Chinese character meaning “(bound form) to decay.” Classified as HSK Level 6 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 衣 (structural). It ranks #1687 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 衰 a person in a robe 衣 with an injury 一 to his head 口. Its radical form 衤 (clothing) appears in many related characters such as 衣 (yī, clothing), 表 (biǎo, exterior surface), 装 (zhuāng, dress, install).
Definitions
- (bound form) to decay
- to decline
- to wane
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA person in a robe 衣 with an injury 一 to his head 口
Decomposition: ⿻衣⿻口一 (layout: overlay)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 衰 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 衰
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 衰竭 | shuāi jié | organ failure |
| 衰退 | shuāi tuì | to decline |
| 衰落 | shuāi luò | to fall |
| 衰弱 | shuāi ruò | weak |
| 衰败 | shuāi bài | to decline |
| 心力衰竭 | xīn lì shuāi jié | heart failure |
| 早衰 | zǎo shuāi | to age prematurely |
| 衰减 | shuāi jiǎn | to weaken |
| 衰亡 | shuāi wáng | to decline |
| 神经衰弱 | shén jīng shuāi ruò | nervous exhaustion |
| 衰变 | shuāi biàn | radioactive decay |
| 经久不衰 | jīng jiǔ bù shuāi | unfailing |
| 不衰 | bù shuāi | unfailing |
| 兴衰 | xīng shuāi | prosperity and decline (of a kingdom) |
| 半衰期 | bàn shuāi qī | (physics) half-life |
衰 appears in 38 compound words: 53 as the first character, 26 as the last, and 21 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 衰 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (4)
Example Sentences
衰字虽然难写，但意思很有趣。
cuī zì suī rán nán xiě , dàn yì sī hěn yǒu qù .
The character "衰" may be difficult to write, but its meaning is quite interesting.
...今年运势强 将克制美国? 美国银行因美元衰落而破产?
. . . jīn nián yùn shì qiáng jiāng kè zhì měi guó ? měi guó yín háng yīn měi yuán shuāi luò ér pò chǎn ?
... This year's strong fortune will restrain the United States? Bank of America bankrupt due to the decline of the dollar?
初九拜天公8点禁忌!踩雷衰运整年 天公是谁、最佳祭拜吉时一览
chū jiǔ bài tiān gōng 8 diǎn jīn jì ! cǎi léi shuāi yùn zhěng nián tiān gōng shì shéi , zuì jiā jì bài jí shí yī lǎn
The ninth day of the first month is taboo at 8 o'clock to worship the gods! Stepping on thunder and bad luck all year round Who is the god of heaven and the best time to worship auspiciousness
天公生8大禁忌曝光!触犯整年恐衰到底
tiān gōng shēng 8 dà jīn jì pù guāng ! chù fàn zhěng nián kǒng shuāi dào de
Tiangongsheng's 8 taboos exposed! I am afraid that it will decline to the end of the whole year
龙吟虎啸:美元地位曾经衰落
lóng yín hǔ xiào : měi yuán dì wèi céng jīng shuāi luò
The roar of the dragon and the roar: The status of the dollar has declined
从六星连珠回看“七星连珠”久传不衰的影响力
cóng liù xīng lián zhū huí kàn qī xīng lián zhū jiǔ chuán bù shuāi de yǐng xiǎng lì
Looking back at the long-standing influence of the "Seven Star Couplet" from the six-star lineup
他的威信日渐衰落。
Tā de wēixìn rìjiàn shuāiluò.
His prestige is fading.
近几年，很多当地的传统都衰败了。
Jìn jǐnián, hěn duō dāngdì de chuántǒng dōu shuāibài le.
Many local traditions have fallen into decay in recent years.
没有人能逃过衰老。
Méiyǒu rén néng táo guo shuāilǎo.
No one can escape growing old.
衰老不得，智慧不得不得。
Shuāilǎo bùdé, zhìhuì bùdé bù dé.
Don't get older, get wiser.
Character Family
衤 Radical Family — Characters sharing the clothing radical
Frequently Asked Questions
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