薄弱

Chinese

		thin; slight; meagre thin; slight; meagre; small; ungenerous; unkind; mean; frivolous; despise; belittle; to approach; to go near; peppermint	weak; feeble; young weak; feeble; young; inferior
trad. (薄弱)		薄	弱
simp. #(薄弱)		薄	弱

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): bóruò

  (Zhuyin): ㄅㄛˊ ㄖㄨㄛˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): bok⁶ joek⁶

• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): po̍k-jio̍k / po̍k-lio̍k / po̍k-jia̍k

  (Teochew, Peng'im): boh⁸ riag⁸

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: bóruò
    • Zhuyin: ㄅㄛˊ ㄖㄨㄛˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: bóruò
    • Wade–Giles: po²-jo⁴
    • Yale: bwó-rwò
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: borruoh
    • Palladius: божо (božo)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pu̯ɔ³⁵ ʐu̯ɔ⁵¹/

Note: Often mispronounced as báoruò.

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: bok⁶ joek⁶
    • Yale: bohk yeuhk
    • Cantonese Pinyin: bok⁹ joek⁹
    • Guangdong Romanization: bog⁶ yêg⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pɔːk̚² jœːk̚²/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Kaohsiung)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: po̍k-jio̍k
    • Tâi-lô: po̍k-jio̍k
    • Phofsit Daibuun: pogjiok
    • Sinological IPA (Kaohsiung): /pɔk̚⁴⁻³² ziɔk̚⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou, Taipei, Xiamen, Jinjiang)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: po̍k-lio̍k
    • Tâi-lô: po̍k-lio̍k
    • Phofsit Daibuun: pogliok
    • Sinological IPA (Taipei, Xiamen): /pɔk̚⁴⁻³² liɔk̚⁴/
    • Sinological IPA (Quanzhou, Jinjiang): /pɔk̚²⁴⁻² liɔk̚²⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: po̍k-jia̍k
    • Tâi-lô: po̍k-jia̍k
    • Phofsit Daibuun: pogjiak
    • Sinological IPA (Zhangzhou): /pɔk̚¹²¹⁻²¹ d͡ziak̚¹²¹/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: boh⁸ riag⁸
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: po̍h jia̍k
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /poʔ⁴⁻² d͡ziak̚⁴/

Adjective

薄弱

1. (of one's willpower, foundation, etc.) weak; frail; lacking

Synonyms

edit

• 冉弱 (rǎnruò) (literary)
• 單薄 / 单薄 (dānbó)
• 孤單 / 孤单 (gūdān)
• 孱弱 (chánruò) (literary)
• 弱 (ruò)
• 微弱 (wēiruò)
• 柔弱 (róuruò)
• 瘦弱 (shòuruò)
• 瘦瘠 (shòují)
• 羸弱 (léiruò)
• 脆弱 (cuìruò)
• 荏弱 (Hokkien)
• 荏身 (Hokkien)
• 虛弱 / 虚弱 (xūruò)
• 虛荏 / 虚荏 (Xiamen Hokkien, Zhangzhou Hokkien)
• 虛虧 / 虚亏 (xūkuī)
• 虧弱 / 亏弱 (kuīruò)
• 衰弱 (shuāiruò)
• 軟弱 / 软弱 (ruǎnruò)
• 軟蔫蔫 / 软蔫蔫 (Zhangzhou Hokkien)
• 軟䭕 / 软𬲕 (Hokkien, Teochew)
• 雌 (cí) (literary)
• 體弱 / 体弱 (tǐruò)

Antonyms

• 堅強／坚强 (jiānqiáng)
• 堅毅／坚毅 (jiānyì)
• 強健／强健 (qiángjiàn)
• 茁壯／茁壮 (zhuózhuàng)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (薄弱):

• → Japanese: 薄弱(はくじゃく) (hakujaku)
• → Korean: 박약(薄弱) (bagyak)
• → Vietnamese: bạc nhược (薄弱)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
薄	弱
はく Grade: S	じゃく Grade: 2
kan'on

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ha̠kɯ̟ʑa̠kɯ̟]
• (Tokyo) はくじゃく [hàkújákú] (Heiban – [0])

Adjective

薄(はく)弱(じゃく) • (hakujaku) ^{←はくじやく (fakuzyaku)?}-na (adnominal 薄(はく)弱(じゃく)な (hakujaku na), adverbial 薄(はく)弱(じゃく)に (hakujaku ni))

1. unreliable

   薄(はく)弱(じゃく)な根(こん)拠(きょ)

   hakujaku na konkyo

   unreliable basis/foundation

2. (of one's physical strength, willpower, etc...) weak, feeble

Inflection

Inflection of 薄弱

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	薄弱だろ	はくじゃくだろ	hakujaku daro
Continuative (連用形)	薄弱で	はくじゃくで	hakujaku de
Terminal (終止形)	薄弱だ	はくじゃくだ	hakujaku da
Attributive (連体形)	薄弱な	はくじゃくな	hakujaku na
Hypothetical (仮定形)	薄弱なら	はくじゃくなら	hakujaku nara
Imperative (命令形)	薄弱であれ	はくじゃくであれ	hakujaku de are
Key constructions
Informal negative	薄弱ではない 薄弱じゃない	はくじゃくではない はくじゃくじゃない	hakujaku de wa nai hakujaku ja nai
Informal past	薄弱だった	はくじゃくだった	hakujaku datta
Informal negative past	薄弱ではなかった 薄弱じゃなかった	はくじゃくではなかった はくじゃくじゃなかった	hakujaku de wa nakatta hakujaku ja nakatta
Formal	薄弱です	はくじゃくです	hakujaku desu
Formal negative	薄弱ではありません 薄弱じゃありません	はくじゃくではありません はくじゃくじゃありません	hakujaku de wa arimasen hakujaku ja arimasen
Formal past	薄弱でした	はくじゃくでした	hakujaku deshita
Formal negative past	薄弱ではありませんでした 薄弱じゃありませんでした	はくじゃくではありませんでした はくじゃくじゃありませんでした	hakujaku de wa arimasen deshita hakujaku ja arimasen deshita
Conjunctive	薄弱で	はくじゃくで	hakujaku de
Conditional	薄弱なら（ば）	はくじゃくなら（ば）	hakujaku nara (ba)
Provisional	薄弱だったら	はくじゃくだったら	hakujaku dattara
Volitional	薄弱だろう	はくじゃくだろう	hakujaku darō
Adverbial	薄弱に	はくじゃくに	hakujaku ni
Degree	薄弱さ	はくじゃくさ	hakujakusa

See also

• 薄(うす)い (usui)
• 弱(よわ)い (yowai)

Noun

薄(はく)弱(じゃく) • (hakujaku) ^{←はくじやく (fakuzyaku)?}

1. unreliability
2. (of one's physical strength, willpower, etc...) weakness, feebleness

References

• “薄弱”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[1] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2026

Korean

Hanja in this term
薄	弱

Noun

薄弱 • (bagyak) (hangeul 박약)

1. hanja form^? of 박약 (“feebleness, deficiency, low intelligence, thinness, weakness”)

References

• Naver Korean-English Dictionary. [2]. Accessed August 14, 2022.

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
薄	弱

Adjective

薄弱

1. chữ Hán form of bạc nhược (“weak, feeble”)