Meaning
失利 means to experience a loss or setback, especially in competitive contexts like sports, business, or politics. It combines the character 失 (to lose) with 利 (advantage, benefit), literally meaning to lose one's advantage. The term is commonly used in formal or news contexts to describe defeats or failures.
Usage
失利 is more formal than simple 输 (to lose) and often appears in news reports, official statements, and written Chinese. It's frequently used to describe sports teams losing matches, companies losing bids, or political parties losing elections. The tone is relatively neutral and objective rather than emotional.
Examples
- 01中国队在昨天的比赛中失利，以二比三输给了对手。, .The Chinese team suffered a defeat in yesterday's match, losing 2-3 to their opponents.
- 02该公司在这次竞标中失利，未能获得项目合同。, .The company lost in this bidding process and failed to obtain the project contract.
Characters
Common collocations
- 遭遇失利to suffer a defeat
- 惨遭失利to suffer a crushing defeat
- 连续失利to suffer consecutive defeats
Antonyms
Origin
The word combines 失 (to lose) and 利 (advantage/benefit), creating a compound that literally means to lose one's advantage or beneficial position, which naturally extends to mean defeat or failure in competition.