重负 (zhòng fù) — heavy burden (often used figuratively for mental or emotional weight)

Definition

重负 (zhòng fù) is a written, formal term for a 'heavy burden' — typically used for abstract pressure (life, work, secrets, responsibility) rather than physical weight. More literary than the everyday 负担.

noun
heavy burden (often used figuratively for mental or emotional weight)

Examples

  • 。
    Shēng huó gěi le tā tài duō zhòng fù.
    Life has given him too heavy a burden.
  • 重负。
    Zhè cì gǎi gé jiǎn qīng le qǐ yè zhòng fù.
    This reform lightens the burden on enterprises.
  • 重负。
    Mì mì chéng le tā xīn zhōng wú fǎ xiè xià de zhòng fù.
    The secret became an unshakable burden in his heart.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

重zhòngheavy
负fùburden

重 heavy and 负 burden combine to mean a heavy burden.

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
人人rénman
Sound part声符shēngfú
東
東dōng重zhòng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

重 developed from a picture of a man carrying a bag, with 人 for the man and 東 for the bag; a later ground element was folded into the form.

Open 重 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 負; 负 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 負 combines 人 (person) and 貝 (cowry), with 人 written as ⺈; the simplified 负 is a later abbreviation.

Open 负 →

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