身心交瘁 (shēn xīn jiāo cuì) — mentally and physically exhausted; worn out in both body and mind

Definition

An idiom meaning 'drained in both body and mind.' Stronger than simply 累 or 疲倦 — it implies long-term, severe exhaustion from sustained stress or overwork.

idiom
mentally and physically exhaustedworn out in both body and mind

Examples

  • ，身心交瘁。
    Lián xù jiā bān yí gè yuè, tā yǐ jīng shēn xīn jiāo cuì le.
    After working overtime for a month straight, he is mentally and physically exhausted.
  • 身心交瘁，。
    Zhào gù shēng bìng de mǔ qīn ràng tā shēn xīn jiāo cuì, dàn tā cóng bú bào yuàn.
    Caring for her sick mother left her mentally and physically exhausted, but she never complains.
  • ，身心交瘁。
    Gāo kǎo qián de jǐ gè yuè, měi gè xué shēng dōu gǎn dào shēn xīn jiāo cuì.
    In the months before the college entrance exam, every student feels mentally and physically exhausted.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

身心body and mind
身shēnbody心xīnmind
联合Side by side
交瘁exhausted together
交jiāotogether瘁cuìexhausted
偏正Modifier + head

身心 and 交瘁 together say body and mind are worn out at the same time.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 身 comes from a drawing of a pregnant woman.

Open 身 →

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

The shape of 心 comes from a drawing of a heart, now highly stylized.

Open 心 →

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

交 originally drew a human with crossed legs. In the modern shape, the upper part resembles a standing person.

Open 交 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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