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懒惰 (lǎn duò) — lazy, idle

Definition

懒惰 (lǎnduò) means 'lazy' — an adjective emphasizing a moral failing, like not wanting to work. 懒 is the shorter, more colloquial equivalent; 闲/空闲 describe being free or unoccupied, not unwilling to work.

adjective
lazyidle

Examples

  • 懒惰。
    Tā yīn wèi lǎn duò bèi gōng sī kāi chú le.
    He was fired from the company because of laziness.
  • 懒惰。
    Kè fú lǎn duò xū yào jí qiáng de zì lǜ.
    Overcoming laziness requires extremely strong self-discipline.
  • 懒惰，。
    Zhè hái zi bìng bú shì lǎn duò, zhǐ shì quē fá dòng lì.
    This child is not actually lazy, just lacking motivation.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

懒lǎnlazy
惰duòsluggish

Both 懒 and 惰 describe sluggishness, so together they mean idle or lazy.

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 懶; 懒 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
忄Written in full as心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
賴
賴lài懶lǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 懶 pairs 忄 (heart) with 賴, which gives the sound; the simplified 懒 is a later shorthand.

Open 懒 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
忄Written in full as心xīnheart; mind
Sound part声符shēngfú
隋
隋suí惰duò
Same sound today

惰 pairs 忄, the heart/mind part, with 隋, which gives the sound.

Open 惰 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Personality & Traits

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