消磨 (xiāo mó) — to while away (time); to wear down, to sap (patience, enthusiasm, will, etc.)
Definition
A two-sense verb: 'to while away (time)' (消磨时间) and 'to wear down' (enthusiasm, will). 与 消耗 (consume resources) and 磨损 (physical wear) differ — 消磨 targets time or intangible spirit, not material or energy.
verb
to while away (time)to wear downto sap (patience, enthusiasm, will, etc.)
Examples
- 消磨。Zhōu mò wǒ cháng cháng yòng kàn diàn yǐng lái xiāo mó shí jiān.I often while away time by watching movies on weekends.
- 消磨。Zhè zhǒng wú liáo de gōng zuò huì xiāo mó rén de rè qíng.This kind of boring work saps people's enthusiasm.
- 消磨。Fēng yǔ bǎ shí bēi shàng de zì dōu xiāo mó diào le.Wind and rain have worn away all the characters on the stone tablet.
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