百无聊赖 (bǎi wú liáo lài) — extremely bored; listless; having nothing to do

Definition

Literary idiom for being 'bored stiff' — far more intense than the everyday 没事做 ('having nothing to do'), and written in tone rather than spoken.

idiom
extremely boredlistlesshaving nothing to do

Examples

  • 百无聊赖
    Zhōu mò yí gè rén zài jiā, jué de bǎi wú liáo lài.
    At home alone on the weekend, I felt extremely bored.
  • 百无聊赖
    Tā bǎi wú liáo lài dì fān zhe shū, yí yè yě méi kàn jìn qù.
    He listlessly flipped through the book without reading a single page.
  • 百无聊赖
    Nà duàn bǎi wú liáo lài de rì zi, tā tiān tiān shuì dào zhōng wǔ.
    During those boring days, he slept until noon every day.

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