- 不甘落后 bùgānluòhòu unwilling to lag behindto refuse to be outdone or left behind; to strive to keep up or excel
- 刀不磨要生锈，人不学要落后 dāobùmóyàoshēngxiùrénbùxuéyàoluòhòu knowledge is like a bladeA blade will get rusty if it is not sharpened; a man will fall behind if he doesn't study.
- 经济落后 jīngjìluòhòu economically backward
- 落后国家 luòhòuguójiā underdeveloped countrya nation that is less advanced economically or technologically compared to others
- 虚心使人进步，骄傲使人落后 xūxīnshǐrénjìnbùjiāo'àoshǐrénluòhòu modesty leads to progress, arrogance makes you fall behindA famous quote of Mao Zedong expressing that modesty helps one improve while pride causes one to fail or fall behind.