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累积 (lěi jī) — to accumulate (gradually over time)

Definition

累積 emphasizes the steady, passive buildup of a quantity over time. Contrast with 积累, which highlights intentional gathering (often of experience/knowledge), and 攒, which is colloquial and usually about saving money.

verb
to accumulate (gradually over time)

Examples

  • 累积。
    Duō nián gōng zuò lěi jī le fēng fù de jīng yàn.
    Many years of work have accumulated rich experience.
  • ，累积。
    Měi tiān cún yì diǎn, qián jiù huì zhú jiàn lěi jī.
    Save a little every day, and the money will gradually accumulate.
  • 累积，。
    Yā lì cháng qī bú shì fàng huì lěi jī, yǐng xiǎng jiàn kāng.
    If stress is not released for a long time, it will accumulate and affect health.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

累lèiaccumulate
积jīstore up

Both 累 and 积 mean to pile up or store, so together they express gradual accumulation.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 累 →

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 積; 积 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
禾禾hé
Sound part声符shēngfú
責
責zé積jī
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 積 pairs 禾 (grain) with 責, which gives the sound; the simplified 积 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 积 →
Appears in
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