Meaning of 胜负
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- victory or defeat
- the outcome of a battle
How to use 胜负
胜负 is used for the result of a game, match, contest or battle, often with verbs like 决定 (juédìng) or 分出 (fēnchū). It also appears in the set phrase 不分胜负 (bù fēn shèngfù), meaning a draw or no clear winner. Example: 这场比赛的胜负还很难说。(Zhè chǎng bǐsài de shèngfù hái hěn nán shuō.) The outcome of this match is still hard to call.
胜 (shèng) means to win, as in 胜利 (shènglì) victory. 负 (fù) here means to lose, so 胜负 puts win and lose side by side to mean the outcome.
Common mistake: Learners know 负 from 负责 (fùzé) and 负担 (fùdān), where it means to bear or carry, so they miss that in 胜负 it means to lose. Also keep both syllables in the fourth tone: shèngfù, not shēngfù.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
胜 shèng · victory · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
负 fù · to bear · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
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- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 胜负.
| 负责 | fùzé | to be responsible for; to be in charge of; to bear responsibility for; conscientious |
| 胜利 | shènglì | victory |
| 负担 | fùdān | to bear (an expense, a responsibility etc); burden |
| 战胜 | zhànshèng | to prevail over; to defeat |
| 负责人 | fùzérén | person in charge |
| 欺负 | qīfu | to bully |
| 名胜 | míngshèng | a place famous for its scenery or historical relics; scenic spot |
| 获胜 | huòshèng | to win |
| 胜任 | shèngrèn | qualified; competent (professionally) |
| 辜负 | gūfù | to fail to live up to (sb's expectations, trust or kindness); to let down |
| 自负 | zìfù | conceited; to take responsibility |
| 胜出 | shèngchū | to come out on top; to win (in an election, contest etc) |
Questions about 胜负
What does 胜负 mean?
胜负 (shèngfù) means "victory or defeat; the outcome of a battle" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 胜负?
胜负 is made of 2 characters: 胜 (9 strokes), 负 (6 strokes). That is 15 strokes in total.
Is 胜负 an HSK word?
Yes. 胜负 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 胜负 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 胜负 is written 勝負.
Can 胜负 be used as a verb meaning to win or lose?
No, 胜负 is a noun meaning the result. To say someone won, use 赢 (yíng) or 战胜 (zhànshèng), and to say they lost, use 输 (shū).
Is 胜负 formal or casual?
It is a bit more formal and written than 输赢 (shūyíng), which means the same thing in everyday speech. Sports commentary and news often use 胜负.