流失

liúshī

verb HSK 7-9 #15,501

Meanings

1 to wash away; to erode
2 to drain away; to be lost (talent, funds, etc.)

Characters

Examples

暴雨导致大量水土流失。

Bàoyǔ dǎozhì dàliàng shuǐ tǔ liúshī.

The heavy rain caused severe soil erosion.

公司正在面临人才流失的问题。

Gōngsī zhèngzài miànlín réncái liúshī de wèntí.

The company is facing the problem of talent drain.

Tips

usage

水土流失 (shuǐtǔ liúshī) = soil erosion (literal). 人才流失 (réncái liúshī) = brain drain (figurative). 客户流失 = customer attrition. The figurative sense is very common in business contexts.

Stroke Order

流 liú

失 shī