red ink

red ink — 名詞

1. an amount of money that a business, organization, or government has lost, shown

1.名詞B2
釋義

虧損

財務報表中的損失金額

an amount of money that a business, organization, or government has lost, shown as a negative figure in its financial records

例句

Allison checked the quarterly statement and saw red ink of nearly two million dollars.

Allison 查看季度報表，看到將近兩百萬美元的虧損。

collocation: red ink of [amount]

Sora warned the board that red ink in the education budget would force difficult cuts.

Sora 警告董事會，教育預算中的虧損將迫使做出困難的刪減。

red ink in [budget/department]

同義詞
  • deficit

    more general term; can describe any shortfall, not just financial

  • loss

    simpler and more common in everyday speech

  • shortfall

    emphasises that income fell short of what was needed

反義詞
  • black ink

    direct opposite in financial jargon — profit instead of loss

  • surplus

    formal term for excess income over spending

用法筆記

Used mainly in the context of financial reports, budgets, and accounting statements. The amount of red ink is usually expressed as a specific sum.

常見錯誤

❌The company had red ink of losing customers.
✅The company had red ink of five hundred thousand dollars.
💡red ink always refers to a monetary loss amount, not the reason for the loss.

2. a financial situation in which a company, organization, or person regularly spen

2.名詞B2
釋義

赤字

支出超過收入的財務狀況

a financial situation in which a company, organization, or person regularly spends more money than they receive, resulting in continued losses

例句

Diego was hired to help the business escape red ink and return to profit.

Diego 受聘來幫助這家企業脫離赤字、恢復獲利。

escape / get out of red ink

The city hospital has operated in red ink for three consecutive years.

這間市立醫院已經連續三年處於赤字狀態。

operate in red ink

同義詞
  • the red

    shorter informal form of 'in the red' — used in the same situation

  • insolvency

    stronger; means unable to pay debts, not just operating at a loss

反義詞
  • profitability

    the opposite economic condition — earning more than you spend

  • the black

    informal opposite; being 'in the black' means profitable

用法筆記

Frequently combined with prepositions: 'in red ink' for the ongoing condition; 'out of red ink' or 'escape red ink' for moving to profitability. This sense describes a continuing state rather than a specific loss figure, which distinguishes it from sense 1.

常見錯誤

❌The red ink of this company is five percent.
✅The company is in red ink, with a five percent loss margin.
💡percentages describe the rate of loss, not the loss amount itself.