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操劳 (cāo láo) — to work hard (for a long period, often with physical or mental effort); to take care of (something demanding careful attention)

Definition

操劳 emphasizes sustained effort over a long period, often for others' sake, and carries a caring tone — heavier than 劳动 (neutral 'labor') and closer to 操心 in its sense of 'taking trouble for someone.'

verb
to work hard (for a long period, often with physical or mental effort)to take care of (something demanding careful attention)

Examples

  • 操劳。
    Mǔ qīn wèi le wǒ men cāo láo le yí bèi zi.
    My mother worked hard for us all her life.
  • 操劳。
    Zhè jiàn shì hái dé qǐng nín duō cāo láo.
    I still need to ask you to take care of this matter.
  • 操劳，。
    Nǐ zuì jìn tài cāo láo le, gāi xiū xi yí xià.
    You've been working too hard lately; you should take a break.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

操cāomanage
劳láotoil

"操" manage and "劳" toil combine to mean work hard over many tasks.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
喿
喿zào操cāo
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left part 手 shows a hand, indicating an action done by hand. The right part 喿 gives the sound.

Open 操 →

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
力力lì
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.

Open 劳 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Workplace & Office

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