瘫 (tān) — to be paralyzed (of a body part); (colloquial) to be exhausted to the point of collapse (as a complement after 累)
Definition
Shortened form of 瘫痪 used as a verb or result complement. After 累 it means 'exhausted to collapse' (累瘫了). Compare with 瘸 (limping, still mobile) and 麻痹 (numbness, often figurative).
verb
to be paralyzed (of a body part)(colloquial) to be exhausted to the point of collapse (as a complement after 累)
Examples
- ，瘫。Tā yīn wèi shēng bìng, yòu tuǐ tān le.He became paralyzed in his right leg due to illness.
- ，瘫。Wǒ zuó tiān pǎo le shí gōng lǐ, lèi tān le.I ran ten kilometers yesterday and was dead tired.
- 瘫。Zhè zhǒng bìng huì dǎo zhì quán shēn dōu tān le.This disease can cause the whole body to become paralyzed.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 癱; 瘫 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
疒疒nè
Sound part声符shēngfú
難
難nán癱tān
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 癱 pairs 疒, an illness part, with 難 as a sound part; this story is about 癱, not the simplified 瘫.
Appears in
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.