失败
shībài · HSK 4
fail
💔 失 (lose) + 败 (defeat) = to lose + be defeated → fail
失 means lose or miss; 败 means defeat or be beaten. Together they reinforce the idea of failure. Sounds like 'she buy' — she buys a losing ticket.
败 — shell 贝 + strike 攵 (rap/tap)
Originally written with 鼎 (cauldron) plus 攴/攵 (a hand striking), depicting a vessel being smashed — hence 'ruined, defeated.' The 鼎 element was later simplified to 贝 (shell/money), giving the modern form 败. The core meaning shifted from physical breakage to losing, failure, and decay.