倦怠 (juàn dài) — (formal) tired and worn out; languid; sluggish | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Formal/literary word for deep mental and physical exhaustion — stronger and more written than the everyday 累 or 疲惫. Often used for long-term burnout, not just momentary tiredness.

adjective

(formal) tired and worn outlanguidsluggish

Examples

，倦怠。
Tā cháng qī áo yè gōng zuò, gǎn dào shí fēn juàn dài.
He worked late nights for a long time and felt very languid.
倦怠。
Jīng shén shàng de juàn dài bǐ shēn tǐ shàng de pí bèi gèng nán huī fù.
Mental languor is harder to recover from than physical fatigue.
倦怠。
juàn dài Gǎn kě néng huì yǐng xiǎng gōng zuò xiào lǜ.
A feeling of languor can affect work efficiency.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéSide by side

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

倦 means tired; 怠 means lazy or sluggish; together they describe weariness.

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

人人rénperson

Sound part声符shēngfú

龹

龹龹倦juàn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

倦 is 人 (person) plus 龹, a sound part; the form 卷 can serve as that sound part.

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

台心怠

Meaning part形符xíngfú

心心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

台

台tái怠dài

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 怠, the bottom 心 is heart, and 台 gives the sound.

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