(lèi) - tired, weary, tiring in Mandarin
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.
Where this fits
Used in
Grammar articles
(12)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
The Mandarin Copula 是 (shì): To Be, and When to Leave It Out
Asking How + Adjective in Mandarin with 多: 多高, 多远, 多长, 多大
How to Say Even Though and Even If in Mandarin: 虽然, 即使, 就算 and 尽管
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
The Mandarin 以 (yǐ) Family: 以为, 以及, 以便, 以免, 以来 and 以...为...
又 (yòu) vs 再 (zài) vs 还 (hái) in Mandarin: The Three Ways to Say 'Again'
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累: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "累" (tired, weary, tiring): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 34.