====== shīluò: 失落 - Lost, Dejected, Disappointed ====== ===== Quick Summary ===== * **Keywords:** shiluo, 失落, meaning of shiluo, Chinese for lost feeling, Chinese for dejected, feeling empty in Chinese, disappointment in Chinese, shiluo vs shiwang, learn Chinese emotions * **Summary:** Discover the deep meaning of the Chinese word **失落 (shīluò)**, a term that goes beyond simple "disappointment" to describe a profound feeling of loss, dejection, and emptiness. This page breaks down its characters, cultural context, and practical usage with 10 example sentences, helping you understand the nuance between **失落 (shīluò)** and similar words like **失望 (shīwàng)**. ===== Core Meaning ===== * **Pinyin (with tone marks):** shīluò * **Part of Speech:** Adjective, Verb * **HSK Level:** HSK 5 * **Concise Definition:** To feel a sense of loss, dejection, or listlessness; to have lost something (usually abstract). * **In a Nutshell:** **失落 (shīluò)** is the quiet, heavy feeling you get when something you hoped for doesn't happen, or when a meaningful chapter of your life closes. It's a mix of sadness, disappointment, and a hollow sense of "what now?". It's less of an angry disappointment and more of a personal, sinking feeling of emptiness. ===== Character Breakdown ===== * **失 (shī):** To lose, to miss, to fail. Think of this as losing a physical object or missing an opportunity. * **落 (luò):** To fall, to drop, to go down. This character paints a picture of something descending, like falling leaves or a setting sun. * When combined, **失落 (shīluò)** creates a powerful image: the feeling of your spirit or mood "losing" its height and "falling" down. It perfectly captures the emotional drop associated with loss and disappointment. ===== Cultural Context and Significance ===== * **失落 (shīluò)** describes a deeply personal and internal emotional state. It's often connected to the gap between one's aspirations (for a career, relationship, or personal goal) and the reality of the outcome. In Chinese culture, where societal and family expectations can be high, the feeling of **失落** can be a common experience when these expectations aren't met. * **Comparison to Western Concepts:** While it's often translated as "disappointed," **失落** is different from the English concept. "Disappointment" can be directed outwardly (e.g., "I am disappointed //in you//."). **失落**, however, is almost exclusively an inward feeling. It’s the emotional aftermath. For example, you might feel **失望 (shīwàng)** when your favorite team loses the game. But you feel **失落 (shīluò)** the next day, when the excitement is gone and you're left with a hollow feeling. It's the quiet emptiness after the "main event" of the disappointment is over. ===== Practical Usage in Modern China ===== * **失落 (shīluò)** is a common word used in everyday conversation, as well as in literature, music, and film. It's used to describe the feeling of a personal setback. * **In Conversation:** Someone might say "我心里有点儿失落 (wǒ xīnli yǒudiǎnr shīluò)" - "I feel a bit lost/dejected" after a job interview that went poorly or after a friend moves away. * **On Social Media:** It's often used to express a melancholy mood, perhaps with a thoughtful or artistic photo. * **Connotation and Formality:** The connotation is entirely negative, describing an unpleasant emotional state. It's suitable for most informal and semi-formal situations when discussing personal feelings. ===== Example Sentences ===== * **Example 1:** * 考试没通过,他感到非常**失落**。 * Pinyin: Kǎoshì méi tōngguò, tā gǎndào fēicháng **shīluò**. * English: He felt very dejected after not passing the exam. * Analysis: This is a classic use case. The failure to meet a specific goal (passing the exam) leads directly to the feeling of **失落**. * **Example 2:** * 毕业后,看着朋友们一个个离开,我心里空荡荡的,很**失落**。 * Pinyin: Bìyè hòu, kànzhe péngyǒumen yīgè gè líkāi, wǒ xīnli kōngdàngdàng de, hěn **shīluò**. * English: After graduation, watching my friends leave one by one, I felt empty and very lost. * Analysis: This example highlights the "emptiness" aspect of **失落**. The loss is not a failure, but the end of an era and the loss of companionship. * **Example 3:** * 他深爱着她,所以当她拒绝他时,他充满了**失落**感。 * Pinyin: Tā shēn àizhe tā, suǒyǐ dāng tā jùjué tā shí, tā chōngmǎnle **shīluò** gǎn. * English: He loved her deeply, so when she rejected him, he was filled with a sense of loss. * Analysis: Here, **失落** is combined with 感 (gǎn - feeling/sense) to form "失落感" (a sense of loss), a very common construction. * **Example 4:** * 曾经热闹的家现在只剩下我一个人,这种**失落**无法用言语形容。 * Pinyin: Céngjīng rènào de jiā xiànzài zhǐ shèng xià wǒ yīgè rén, zhè zhǒng **shīluò** wúfǎ yòng yányǔ xíngróng. * English: The once-lively home now only has me left; this feeling of dejection is indescribable. * Analysis: This sentence powerfully conveys the feeling of loss associated with loneliness and change. * **Example 5:** * 听到比赛被取消的消息,孩子们眼中流露出**失落**的表情。 * Pinyin: Tīngdào bǐsài bèi qǔxiāo de xiāoxī, háizimen yǎnzhōng liúlù chū **shīluò** de biǎoqíng. * English: Upon hearing the news that the competition was canceled, the children's eyes revealed a look of disappointment. * Analysis: This shows that **失落** can be a visible emotion, expressed through one's facial expression (表情). * **Example 6:** * 他以为这次升职非他莫属,结果出来后,他的**失落**可想而知。 * Pinyin: Tā yǐwéi zhè cì shēngzhí fēi tā mò shǔ, jiéguǒ chūlái hòu, tā de **shīluò** kěxiǎng'érzhī. * English: He thought the promotion was his for sure, so after the results came out, his dejection was imaginable. * Analysis: This connects **失落** to high expectations that have been dashed. The higher the hope, the greater the **失落**. * **Example 7:** * 假期结束了,总会有一点点**失落**。 * Pinyin: Jiàqī jiéshùle, zǒng huì yǒu yīdiǎndiǎn **shīluò**. * English: When the holiday is over, there's always a little bit of a downcast feeling. * Analysis: This demonstrates a mild, everyday use of **失落**. It's the small, sinking feeling that comes when a good time is over. * **Example 8:** * 读完这本小说,我感到一种莫名的**失落**,好像告别了一位好朋友。 * Pinyin: Dú wán zhè běn xiǎoshuō, wǒ gǎndào yī zhǒng mòmíng de **shīluò**, hǎoxiàng gàobiéle yī wèi hǎo péngyǒu. * English: After finishing this novel, I felt an inexplicable sense of loss, as if I had said goodbye to a good friend. * Analysis: **失落** can be caused by the loss of an imaginary world or connection, showing its abstract nature. * **Example 9:** * 她的表演没有得到预期的掌声,她**失落**地走下舞台。 * Pinyin: Tā de biǎoyǎn méiyǒu dédào yùqí de zhǎngshēng, tā **shīluò** de zǒu xià wǔtái. * English: Her performance didn't receive the expected applause, and she walked off the stage dejectedly. * Analysis: Here, **失落** is used as an adverb (失落地) to describe an action performed in a dejected manner. * **Example 10:** * 在大城市里,有时候即使身边有很多人,你也会感到**失落**和孤独。 * Pinyin: Zài dà chéngshì lǐ, yǒushíhòu jíshǐ shēnbiān yǒu hěnduō rén, nǐ yě huì gǎndào **shīluò** hé gūdú. * English: In a big city, sometimes even if you're surrounded by people, you will feel lost and lonely. * Analysis: This links **失落** with the modern feeling of urban alienation and loneliness. ===== Nuances and Common Mistakes ===== * **失落 (shīluò) vs. 失望 (shīwàng):** This is the most common point of confusion. * **失望 (shīwàng - disappointed):** This is about an unmet expectation. It's often directed at a specific event, person, or outcome. "我对你很失望" (I am very disappointed in you). It's the initial "ugh, that's not what I wanted" feeling. * **失落 (shīluò - dejected/lost):** This is the lingering, internal feeling of emptiness //after// the disappointment. It's more about the void left behind. You feel **失望** //at// the bad news, but you feel **失落** //because of// the bad news. * **失落 (shīluò) vs. 失去 (shīqù):** * **失去 (shīqù - to lose):** This verb is used for losing concrete things or established abstract concepts. "我失去了我的工作" (I lost my job). * **失落 (shīluò):** This is the //feeling// that results from 失去. * **Common Mistake:** Using **失落** for losing a physical object. * **Incorrect:** 我**失落**了我的钥匙。(Wǒ **shīluò** le wǒ de yàoshi.) - This sounds like "I felt dejected my keys." * **Correct:** 我**丢了**我的钥匙。(Wǒ **diūle** wǒ de yàoshi.) - I lost my keys. * **Correct:** 因为丢了钥匙,我感到很**失落**。(Yīnwèi diūle yàoshi, wǒ gǎndào hěn **shīluò**.) - Because I lost my keys, I feel very dejected. ===== Related Terms and Concepts ===== * [[失望]] (shīwàng) - Disappointment. The direct feeling of an unmet expectation; often the cause of **失落**. * [[难过]] (nánguò) - Sad. A more general term for feeling bad or upset. **失落** is a specific type of sadness that includes emptiness. * [[沮丧]] (jǔsàng) - Depressed, dejected. A stronger, heavier, and sometimes more clinical term than **失落**. * [[空虚]] (kōngxū) - Empty, void. This describes the core feeling of emptiness that is central to the meaning of **失落**. * [[迷茫]] (mímáng) - Confused, adrift. Describes a state of being directionless, which can both cause and result from feeling **失落**. * [[孤独]] (gūdú) - Lonely. A feeling of being alone that is often intertwined with **失落**. * [[遗憾]] (yíhàn) - Regret, pity. The feeling about a past event you wish had gone differently, which can lead to a long-term sense of **失落**. * [[伤心]] (shāngxīn) - Heartbroken, sad. Literally "injured heart," it implies a more acute pain than the dull ache of **失落**.