碌碌无为 (lù lù wú wéi) — mediocre and without achievement; to lead a humdrum and ineffectual life

Definition

A four-character idiom meaning a lifetime of mediocrity and no real achievement — strongly self-critical. Used as a predicate or after 地, e.g. 一辈子碌碌无为.

idiom
mediocre and without achievementto lead a humdrum and ineffectual life

Examples

  • 碌碌无为。
    Tā bù xiǎng yí bèi zi lù lù wú wéi.
    He doesn't want to be mediocre and achieve nothing his whole life.
  • ，碌碌无为。
    Hěn duō rén nián qīng shí xióng xīn bó bó, zuì hòu què lù lù wú wéi.
    Many people are ambitious when young, but end up mediocre and without achievement.
  • 碌碌无为，。
    Tā jué de zì jǐ zhè xiē nián lù lù wú wéi, hěn hòu huǐ méi yǒu nǔ lì.
    He feels that he has been mediocre and unaccomplished these years, and regrets not working harder.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
石石shístone
Sound part声符shēngfú
彔
彔lù碌lù
Same sound today

碌 is made of 石 (stone) and 彔, with 彔 giving the sound.

Open 碌 →

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
石石shístone
Sound part声符shēngfú
彔
彔lù碌lù
Same sound today

碌 is made of 石 (stone) and 彔, with 彔 giving the sound.

Open 碌 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 無; 无 is its simplified writing.

For the simplified 无, the story is about 無. 無 drew a person dancing with ox tails held in both hands to pray for rain, then was borrowed for 'have no', so the picture does not explain that meaning.

Open 无 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 為; 为 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 為 showed a hand holding an elephant; the simplified 为 is a later shorthand.

Open 为 →

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