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毫不费力 (háo bù fèi lì) — effortless; without expending the slightest effort

Definition

A set phrase meaning 'effortless' or 'without the slightest exertion' — used as an adverb or attributive to highlight that something was achieved with no difficulty at all.

verb
effortlesswithout expending the slightest effort

Examples

  • 毫不费力。
    Tā háo bù fèi lì dì wán chéng le suǒ yǒu rèn wu.
    He finished all the tasks effortlessly.
  • 毫不费力。
    Zhè dào tí tā háo bù fèi lì jiù zuò chū lái le.
    She solved this problem with no effort at all.
  • 毫不费力。
    Cóng xiǎo liàn wǔ shù de rén háo bù fèi lì jiù néng dǎ bài duì shǒu.
    People who have practiced martial arts since childhood can defeat opponents effortlessly.

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.

The written form 毫 is built from 高 and 毛.

Open 毫 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

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 費; 费 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèicowry
Sound part声符shēngfú
弗
弗fú費fèi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 費 has 貝, a cowry shell, and 弗, which gives a sound; the simplified 费 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the original pieces.

Open 费 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

力 is drawn as either an arm bending out from the side of the body or a wooden plough.

Open 力 →
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Idioms & Set Phrases

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