劳累 (láo lèi) — tired, exhausted | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

劳累 (láo lèi) means physically tired from sustained work or exertion — stronger than 疲劳. Use 疲惫 or 疲倦 for deeper, more utter exhaustion.

adjective

tiredexhausted

Examples

，劳累。
Jīn tiān gōng zuò le yì zhěng tiān, wǒ gǎn dào fēi cháng láo lèi.
After working all day today, I feel extremely tired.
，劳累。
Jīng guò cháng tú lǚ xíng, dà jiā dōu shí fēn láo lèi.
After the long journey, everyone was very exhausted.
劳累。
Tā shén sè láo lèi dì zuò zài shā fā shàng xiū xi.
He sat on the sofa to rest, looking tired.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

Both 劳 and 累 convey toil and fatigue, so together they mean exhausted or worn out.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 勞; 劳 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

𬡤

𬡤𬡤勞láo

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 勞 uses 力 for the meaning and 𬡤 for the sound; the simplified 劳 is a later shortened shape.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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