Chinese word

失灵

Pronunciation

Pinyinshī líng

Meaning

  • verbmalfunction

Example

我的手机突然失灵了。wǒ de shǒu jī tū rán shī líng le

My phone suddenly malfunctioned.

Illustration for 失灵 (malfunction)

More examples

紧张时他的脑子会失灵，想不出该说什么。jǐn zhāng shí tā de nǎo zi huì shī líng xiǎng bù chū gāi shuō shén me

When he is nervous, his brain stops working, and he cannot think of what to say.

Core concept

A device or component suddenly loses its ability to respond or do its job.

Common phrases

  • 手机失灵shǒu jī shī líng

    cell phone malfunctions

  • 大脑失灵dà nǎo shī líng

    brain stops working

  • 键盘失灵jiàn pán shī líng

    keyboard malfunctions

Similar words

出故障chū gù zhàng: Develop a technical problem that prevents a machine or device from working normally.
故障gù zhàng: Become unusable when a machine, device, or system develops a fault.
损坏sǔn huài: Lose its function after being physically damaged or worn down.
失效shī xiào: Lose its effect or function when its valid period ends or conditions are no longer met.

Definition in Chinese

指某物或某一部分突然停止发挥作用或不再灵敏，表现为无法正常响应或运行。zhǐ mǒu wù huò mǒu yí bù fèn tū rán tíng zhǐ fā huī zuò yòng huò bú zài líng mǐn biǎo xiàn wèi wú fǎ zhèng cháng xiǎng yìng huò yùn xíng

Word origin

失 (shī, "lose") + 灵 (líng, "effectiveness or responsiveness") forms a compound for something that has lost the quality that lets it work properly.

Usage tips

  • In everyday reports, naming the affected device or component makes clear whether the problem is local or system-wide.

Other meanings

  • failverb
  • stop workingverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word