gōng供supplybù不notyìng应meetqiú求demand
Supply falls short of demand; demand exceeds supply.
Literal meaning
supply (供) — not (不) — meet (应) — demand (求)
Origin
A classical four-character phrase describing a situation where the supply of something is insufficient to meet the demand.
Examples
zhè这zhǒng种chǎn产pǐn品gōng供bú不yìng应qiú求，jià价gé格shàng上zhǎng涨。
The supply of this product falls short of demand, and the price is rising.
yóu由yú于yì疫qíng情yǐng影xiǎng响，kǒu口zhào罩gōng供bú不yìng应qiú求。
Due to the impact of the epidemic, the supply of masks falls short of demand.
Usage & nuances
Used in economic contexts to describe market conditions.
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