出息

chūxi

noun HSK 7-9 #16,961

Meanings

1 promise; potential (of a person)
2 prospect of success

Characters

to produce; to come out

growth; interest

Examples

这孩子长大了一定有出息。

Zhè háizi zhǎngdà le yídìng yǒu chūxi.

This kid will definitely make something of himself when he grows up.

你怎么这么没出息！

Nǐ zěnme zhème méichūxi!

How can you be so useless!

Tips

usage

没出息 (méi chūxi) is one of the most common Chinese parent insults — it means 'you'll never amount to anything.' It's a classic guilt-trip phrase, often used half-jokingly but sometimes devastatingly.

Stroke Order

出 chū

息 xī