厌倦 (yàn juàn) — to be tired of; to be fed up with; to be bored… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

厌倦 is to be weary and bored from long exposure — losing interest through overexposure, not sudden dislike. 厌恶 is stronger (active loathing); 厌烦 is closer in meaning but leans toward irritation.

verb

to be tired ofto be fed up withto be bored with

Examples

厌倦。
Tā yàn juàn le zhè zhǒng wú liáo de shēng huó.
He is tired of this boring life.
厌倦。
Wǒ zǎo yàn juàn le yì chéng bú biàn de gōng zuò.
I have long been fed up with the monotonous work.
厌倦。
Tā yàn juàn le měi tiān dōu yào jiā bān.
She is tired of having to work overtime every day.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

厌 (weary) and 倦 (tired) combine to mean tired of something.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 厭; 厌 is its simplified writing.

厂猒厭

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

猒

猒yàn厭yàn

Same sound today

The traditional form 厭 combines 厂 as the meaning part with 猒 as the sound part; the simplified 厌 is a later abbreviation.

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.

Appears in

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