爽然若失

Mandarin · pinyin shuǎng rán ruò shī

Meanings

  1. at a loss
  2. confused
  3. not know what to do next
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Characters in this entry

爽
shuǎng · happy, cheerful; refreshing
然
rán · yes, certainly; pledge, promise
若
ruò · if, supposing, assuming; similar
失
shī · lose; make mistake, neglect
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

3–2–4–1 · shuang3 ran2 ruo4 shi1

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

song2 jin4 joek6 sat1

Cantonese word readings for 爽然若失. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

  1. (simile) to feel dejected and lost

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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