King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Chinese symbol for “failure”

衰竭
shuāi jié
(of an organ or bodily function) failure; to fail; (of resources etc) exhaustion; depletion

The closest CC-CEDICT match for failure is 衰竭 (shuāi jié), defined as: (of an organ or bodily function) failure; to fail; (of resources etc) exhaustion; depletion.

Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.

Characters and stroke order

衰 shuāi
weak, feeble; to decline, to falter
radical 145 ⾐ · 10 strokes
竭 jié
to exhaust; to put forth great effort
radical 117 ⽴ · 14 strokes

Other Chinese words for “failure”

WordPinyinMeaning
失败 (失敗)shī bàito be defeated; to lose
故障gù zhàngmalfunction; breakdown
挫败 (挫敗)cuò bàito thwart; to foil (sb's plans); a setback; a failure; a defeat
跟斗gēn dousomersault; fall; tumble

Related words

Other words that share a character with 衰竭.

WordPinyinMeaning
衰退shuāi tuìto decline; to fall
衰落shuāi luòto fall; to drop
衰败 (衰敗)shuāi bàito decline; to wane
衰老shuāi lǎoto age; to deteriorate with age
兴衰 (興衰)xīng shuāiprosperity and decline (of a kingdom); rise and fall
竭力jié lìto do one's utmost
枯竭kū jiéused up; dried up
竭尽全力 (竭盡全力)jié jìn quán lì(idiom) to spare no effort; to do one's utmost

See also: Japanese symbol for “failure”.

Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.

Last posts

  1. Best Padded Sticks for Self-Defense Training and Safety
  2. Best Lightweight Escrima Sticks for Speed and Quick Strikes
  3. Mixing Stick Lengths in Crafting and Construction
  4. Do Carved-Grip Escrima Sticks Improve Weapon Retention
  5. Best Short Sticks for Close-Range Drills and Training
  6. Best Escrima Books for Beginners and Clear Technique
  7. Are Aluminum Trainer Knives Safe for Beginners
  8. Best Rubber Training Knives for Kali Practice
  9. Best Eye Protection for Stick Training and Sparring
  10. Best Hand Protectors for Kali Drills by Training Intensity