sǔnshī: 损失 - Loss, Damage, Detriment

• Keywords: 损失, sunshi, Chinese word for loss, damage in Chinese, financial loss, suffer a loss, economic damage, report a loss, 损害, 亏损, business loss, material damage
• Summary: Learn the essential Chinese word 损失 (sǔnshī), which means “loss” or “damage,” typically in a formal, financial, or material context. This guide explores how to use `sǔnshī` to talk about everything from business and investment losses to damage caused by accidents or natural disasters, distinguishing it from the casual word for losing your keys.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): sǔn shī
• Part of Speech: Noun, Verb
• HSK Level: HSK 5
• Concise Definition: A loss, damage, or detriment; to lose or suffer damage.
• In a Nutshell: `损失` is not about misplacing your wallet. It's a more serious and formal term that refers to a significant, often quantifiable, loss or damage. Think of the “loss” a company reports in its quarterly earnings, the “damage” an earthquake causes to a city, or the “loss” you claim from an insurance company after a car accident. It carries a weight of seriousness and consequence.

• 损 (sǔn): This character means “to decrease,” “to harm,” or “to damage.” The left part is the “hand” radical (扌), suggesting an action of causing detriment or reduction.
• 失 (shī): This character means “to lose,” “to miss,” or “to fail.” It pictorially represents something slipping from a hand.
• Combined Meaning: The characters together, “damage and lose,” create a powerful and formal term that signifies a concrete reduction in value, assets, or well-being. It’s a loss that is the result of some negative event or action.

`损失` is a pragmatic and essential term in modern China, reflecting the immense focus on economic activity, development, and legal accountability. Its frequent use in news, business, and official reports underscores a societal preoccupation with measurable outcomes. A helpful comparison for a Western learner is to contrast `损失` with the general English word “loss.” In English, “loss” is incredibly broad. You can have a “loss” in a football game, a “loss of innocence,” or a “financial loss.” `损失` in Chinese is much more specific. You would not use `损失` for losing a game (that would be `输了 shū le`). `损失` is almost always tied to something with tangible or official value: money, property, resources, or even abstract but serious things like reputation (`名誉损失 míngyù sǔnshī`). It's the kind of loss that has consequences, the kind you might need to document, report, or be compensated for. It reflects a culture where quantifying and addressing concrete damages, especially in a commercial or legal context, is crucial.

`损失` is a formal word used in specific, serious contexts.

• Business and Finance: This is the most common use. Companies discuss `经济损失` (economic losses), `投资损失` (investment losses), and ways to `减少损失` (reduce losses).
• Insurance and Legal Claims: When you have a car accident or your property is stolen, you report the `损失` to the police and your insurance company. The term is used to formally document the value of what was damaged or lost.
• Disasters and Accidents: News reports will always quantify the impact of a typhoon, flood, or industrial accident in terms of `人员伤亡` (casualties) and `财产损失` (property losses).
• Formal Warnings: You might see signs that say “违者造成损失，必须赔偿” (Violators who cause losses must compensate).

It is almost never used in casual conversation about everyday mishaps.

• Example 1:
  • 这次台风给城市造成了巨大的损失。
  • Pinyin: Zhè cì táifēng gěi chéngshì zàochéng le jùdà de sǔnshī.
  • English: This typhoon caused enormous losses/damage to the city.
  • Analysis: A classic example used in news reports. `造成损失` (zàochéng sǔnshī) is a very common and formal collocation meaning “to cause a loss/damage.”
• Example 2:
  • 我们必须想办法弥补公司的损失。
  • Pinyin: Wǒmen bìxū xiǎng bànfǎ míbǔ gōngsī de sǔnshī.
  • English: We must find a way to make up for the company's losses.
  • Analysis: Here, `损失` is a noun referring to financial losses. `弥补损失` (míbǔ sǔnshī) means “to compensate for/make up for a loss.”
• Example 3:
  • 他的投资损失了五十万。
  • Pinyin: Tā de tóuzī sǔnshī le wǔshí wàn.
  • English: His investment lost five hundred thousand.
  • Analysis: In this sentence, `损失` is used as a verb, “to lose (a certain amount of money).”
• Example 4:
  • 请立即报告您的损失，以便我们处理保险理赔。
  • Pinyin: Qǐng lìjí bàogào nín de sǔnshī, yǐbiàn wǒmen chǔlǐ bǎoxiǎn lǐpéi.
  • English: Please report your losses immediately so that we can process the insurance claim.
  • Analysis: This demonstrates the formal, official use of `损失` in an insurance context.
• Example 5:
  • 为了避免更大的损失，我们决定停止这个项目。
  • Pinyin: Wèile bìmiǎn gèng dà de sǔnshī, wǒmen juédìng tíngzhǐ zhège xiàngmù.
  • English: In order to avoid greater losses, we decided to stop this project.
  • Analysis: `避免损失` (bìmiǎn sǔnshī) means “to avoid a loss.” This is a key phrase in business and risk management.
• Example 6:
  • 虽然我们赢了合同，但是在时间和精力上也损失不小。
  • Pinyin: Suīrán wǒmen yíng le hétóng, dànshì zài shíjiān hé jīnglì shàng yě sǔnshī bù xiǎo.
  • English: Although we won the contract, we also suffered considerable losses in terms of time and energy.
  • Analysis: This shows `损失` can be used for more abstract resources like time and energy, but it still maintains a serious, “cost-benefit analysis” tone.
• Example 7:
  • 这次事故中，万幸的是没有任何人员损失。
  • Pinyin: Zhè cì shìgù zhōng, wànxìng de shì méiyǒu rènhé rényuán sǔnshī.
  • English: Fortunately, in this accident, there were no personnel losses (i.e., no casualties).
  • Analysis: `人员损失` is a formal way to refer to casualties or loss of life, often used by officials or in reports.
• Example 8:
  • 他的鲁莽驾驶导致了严重的财产损失。
  • Pinyin: Tā de lǔmǎng jiàshǐ dǎozhì le yánzhòng de cáichǎn sǔnshī.
  • English: His reckless driving led to serious property damage.
  • Analysis: `财产损失` (cáichǎn sǔnshī) specifically means “property loss/damage” and is a standard legal and insurance term.
• Example 9:
  • 评估这次网络攻击造成的损失还需要一些时间。
  • Pinyin: Pínggū zhè cì wǎngluò gōngjī zàochéng de sǔnshī hái xūyào yīxiē shíjiān.
  • English: It will still take some time to assess the damage caused by this cyberattack.
  • Analysis: This demonstrates the term's relevance in modern technological contexts.
• Example 10:
  • 如果取消订单，我们将损失所有定金。
  • Pinyin: Rúguǒ qǔxiāo dìngdān, wǒmen jiāng sǔnshī suǒyǒu dìngjīn.
  • English: If we cancel the order, we will lose the entire deposit.
  • Analysis: A clear, practical use of `损失` as a verb in a transactional context.

The most common mistake for learners is using `损失` for casual, everyday losses.

• `损失 (sǔnshī)` vs. `丢 (diū)`
  • `丢 (diū)` is for misplacing or losing a personal item. It's informal and very common.
    • Correct: 我丢了钥匙。(Wǒ diū le yàoshi.) - I lost my keys.
    • Incorrect: 我损失了钥匙。(Wǒ sǔnshī le yàoshi.) - This sounds absurdly formal, as if your keys were a major corporate asset.
  • `损失 (sǔnshī)` is for major, quantifiable, or official losses.
    • Correct: 公司损失了一百万。(Gōngsī sǔnshī le yībǎi wàn.) - The company lost one million.
    • Incorrect: 公司丢了一百万。(Gōngsī diū le yībǎi wàn.) - This sounds like the company physically misplaced a giant pile of cash, rather than suffering a financial loss.
• `损失 (sǔnshī)` vs. `损害 (sǔnhài)`
  • These two are very close and often interchangeable, but there's a slight nuance.
  • `损害 (sǔnhài)` often focuses on the action of harming or impairing something (health, reputation, interests). It's more of a verb.
  • `损失 (sǔnshī)` often focuses on the resultant loss of value. It's more of a noun.
  • You can often say that an act of `损害` (harming) leads to a `损失` (loss).
    • Example: 他的行为损害了公司的名誉 (Tā de xíngwéi sǔnhài le gōngsī de míngyù - His actions damaged the company's reputation), and this caused a financial 损失 (loss).

• 损害 (sǔnhài) - A close synonym, but one that emphasizes the act of “harming” or “impairing,” often used for abstract things like reputation or interests.
• 亏损 (kuīsǔn) - A more specific term for “financial deficit” or “loss” in a business context. It's a purely financial term.
• 丢 (diū) - The common, informal verb for “to lose” a physical object you've misplaced.
• 失败 (shībài) - Means “to fail” or “failure.” It describes the outcome of an attempt or goal, not a material loss.
• 赔偿 (péicháng) - “To compensate.” This is the action taken to make up for a `损失` that one has caused.
• 破坏 (pòhuài) - “To destroy, to wreck.” This verb describes a physical action that often leads to `损失`.
• 代价 (dàijià) - The “cost” or “price” paid for something, often used abstractly (e.g., the cost of war, the price of success).
• 灾难 (zāinàn) - “Disaster” or “catastrophe,” an event that is a primary cause of large-scale `损失`.