累
lèiTraditional: 累
Translation
tired, weary, tiring
Word origin
Written with 田 (tián, field) over 糸 (mì, silk thread), the character originally suggested threads piling up, and in this reading it came to mean the weariness of accumulated toil.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 田 (tián, field) + 糸 (mì, silk thread)
Stroke order
累
Examples
。
I am very tired today.
，。
After working all day, he was worn out.
。
This job is too tiring.
。
Rest for a bit when you are tired.
，。
After walking so far, the children were all tired.
累 (lèi) is the everyday adjective for tired or weary, and can also describe something as tiring. Read in other tones the same character can mean to accumulate or to implicate, but the fourth-tone sense here is by far the most common.
Used in
Grammar articles
(8)Mandarin Adjectives as Stative Verbs: Why 'I Am Cold' Is 我冷, Not 我是冷
Mandarin Grammar Cheatsheet: The Essentials, One Page
Mandarin Complements: 得 for Manner, Directional Endings, and How to Attach a Result to a Verb
Concession in Mandarin: 虽然...还是/但是, 不过, and 还是 (Although, Even So, Nonetheless)
Mandarin Conjunctions: 虽然…但是, 因为…所以, 如果…就 and the Paired Structures That Join Clauses
Asking How + Adjective in Mandarin with 多: 多高, 多远, 多长, 多大
Mandarin Intermediate Grammar (B1-B2 / HSK 4-5): Complements, Conjunctions and the Full 了 System
The Two 了 in Mandarin: Completion 了 After the Verb vs Change-of-State 了 at the End
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Go to my review queueThis word is part of lesson 34.