疲于奔命 (pí yú bēn mìng) — to be exhausted from constantly rushing around; to be run off one's feet (due to heavy demands)

Definition

A four-character idiom (chengyu) meaning 'run off one's feet' from nonstop demands — emphasizes being driven by outside pressure, not just personal tiredness.

idiom
to be exhausted from constantly rushing aroundto be run off one's feet (due to heavy demands)

Examples

  • ，疲于奔命。
    Tā zuì jìn wèi le xiàng mù tiān tiān jiā bān, zhēn shì pí yú bēn mìng.
    He's been working overtime every day for the project lately — he's truly exhausted from running around.
  • ，疲于奔命。
    Gōng sī yè wù kuò zhāng, yuán gōng men gè gè pí yú bēn mìng.
    As the company expands its business, every employee is run off their feet.
  • ，疲于奔命。
    Bié ràng tā zài jiē shǒu xīn rèn wu le, tā yǐ jīng pí yú bēn mìng le.
    Don't let him take on any more tasks — he's already worn out from rushing around.

Origin

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
疒疒nèsick
Sound part声符shēngfú
皮
皮pí疲
Same sound today

疲 pairs 疒, which shows illness, with 皮, which gives its sound; the character means sick and tired.

Open 疲 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 一一yīflat stream of air
  • 丂丂kǎoto exhale

The old shape of 于 may have pictured an ancient wind instrument. Another explanation reads 一 as a flat stream of air and 丂 as an exhaling mark.

Open 于 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

奔 combines 人 (person) and 止 (foot), giving the picture of a person moving on foot.

Open 奔 →

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
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
令
令lìng命mìng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

命 combines 口, a mouth, with 令, which gives the sound.

Open 命 →

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