chā

difference; discrepancy

(math.) difference (amount remaining after a subtraction); (literary) a little; somewhat; slightly

sheep (羊) + work (工) = the gap between ideal and actual

When a sheep (羊) is measured against a standard of work (工), the gap between ideal and actual emerges. That gap — the shortfall, the discrepancy — is the heart of 差.

+
WorkSemantic
SheepSemantic

Words with 差

差强人意

chā qiáng rén yì

(idiom) just passable

差派

chāi pài

to dispatch

邮差

yóu chāi

postman; mailman (dated in mainland China)

开小差

kāi xiǎo chāi

to be absent-minded

阻差办公

zǔ chāi bàn gōng

(law) obstructing government administration (Hong Kong)

阴差阳错

yīn chā yáng cuò

(idiom) due to an unexpected turn of events

阴错阳差

yīn cuò yáng chā

(idiom) due to an unexpected turn of events

隔三差五

gé sān chà wǔ

(idiom) every few days; every once in a while

云泥之差

yún ní zhī chà

see 雲泥之別|云泥之别[yun2 ni2 zhi1 bie2]

顺差

shùn chā

(trade or budget) surplus

脏乱差

zāng luàn chà

(coll.) squalid

鬼使神差

guǐ shǐ shén chāi

demons and gods at work (idiom); unexplained event crying out for a supernatural explanation

More characters with 羊