(yàn) — to detest; to loathe; to be sick of; to be fed up with

Definition

A strong, written/formal verb meaning 'to loathe / be deeply sick of' — stronger and more literary than 讨厌 (tǎoyàn). Often pairs with abstract or prolonged things: 学习, 生活, 这种重复的工作.

verb
to detestto loatheto be sick ofto be fed up with

Examples

  • Tā cóng xiǎo jiù yàn xué.
    He has been sick of studying since childhood.
  • Wǒ duì zhè zhǒng chóng fù de gōng zuò yǐ jīng hěn yàn le.
    I'm already fed up with this kind of repetitive work.
  • Tā kàn qǐ lái duì shēng huó gǎn dào yàn fán.
    She looks fed up with life.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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 厭; 厌 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
Sound part声符shēngfú
yànyàn
Same sound today

The traditional form 厭 combines 厂 as the meaning part with 猒 as the sound part; the simplified 厌 is a later abbreviation.

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