损 sǔn to damage
to damage; to harm
怎么记住“损”: 扌 hand + 员 member = to damage. One careless hand on the shelf, and the newest staff member watches the vases crash, sure he managed to damage the whole display.
部件结构
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
损 = 扌 hand + 员 member
- 扌 hand meaning
- 员 member sound
- 口 mouth
- 贝 sea shell
One careless hand on the shelf, and the newest staff member watches the vases crash, sure he managed to damage the whole display.
How it came to be
The hand gives the meaning and the right part gives the sound.
用法
- 损坏 sǔnhuài is for physical damage to objects: 损坏公物 "damaging public property."
- 损害 sǔnhài is for abstract harm to interests, health, or reputation: 损害健康 "harm one's health."
- 损失 sǔnshī "loss" works as both noun and verb, common in business and disaster reporting.
- Rarely used alone, always paired into one of these fixed compounds.