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輸不起

简输不起 · 繁輸不起

Mandarin · pinyin shū bù qǐ

to take defeat with bad grace
to be a sore loser
cannot afford to lose

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Characters in this entry

輸: Look up this written character
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
起: qǐ · rise, stand up; go up; begin
输: shū · transport, carry, haul

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1–4–3 · shu1 bu4 qi3

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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.

輸不起 · find source passages ↗ · 输不起 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

verb

to be a sore loser; to be unable to accept defeat
cannot afford to lose

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

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