缺位

quēwèi

noun

Meanings

1 vacancy
2 vacant position
3 to be missing or absent (of a role/function)

Characters

to lack, missing

position, place

Examples

公司董事长职位长期缺位。

Gōngsī dǒngshìzhǎng zhíwèi chángqī quēwèi.

The chairman position at the company has been vacant for a long time.

在这次危机中，监管的缺位非常明显。

Zài zhè cì wēijī zhōng, jiānguǎn de quēwèi fēicháng míngxiǎn.

In this crisis the absence of regulation was glaringly obvious.

Tips

usage

Two senses: (1) literal 'vacant post' — a job no one currently fills; (2) metaphorical — a role/function (oversight, parenting, leadership) that should exist but doesn't. Often paired with 监管 (jiānguǎn) 'regulation', 父爱 (fùài) 'fatherly love', 服务 (fúwù) 'service'.

memory

缺 (quē) 'lacking' + 位 (wèi) 'position'. Antonym: 到位 (dàowèi) 'in place, well-executed'.

Stroke Order

缺 quē

位 wèi