Definition
落后 (luò hòu) means 'to fall behind' as a verb or 'backward/underdeveloped' as an adjective. It is broader than 掉队 (diào duì), which specifically means falling behind or dropping out of a group, and more common than the formal 滞后 (zhì hòu), used for economic or technical lags. Unlike 掉队 and 滞后, 落后 can directly describe a place or system as 'backward'.
to fall behindto lag (in competition, technology, etc.)backwardunderdeveloped
Examples
- ，落后。Tā xuéxí bù nǔlì, hěn kuài jiù luò hòu le.He doesn't study hard, so he'll soon fall behind.
- 落后。Nà ge dìqū de jiāotōng hái hěn luò hòu.The transportation in that region is still backward.
- 落后。Wǒmen de jìshù bù néng luò hòu yú qítā guójiā.Our technology cannot lag behind other countries.
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