累

• Pinyin: lèi
• Hanzi breakdown: 累 = 田 (field) + 糸 (thread, bottom component) — piling up work in the field until exhausted

Meaning

Tired; exhausted. Describes physical or mental fatigue.

A common adjective for expressing tiredness. Used with degree words: 很累 (very tired), 太累了 (too tired), 累死了 (exhausted, colloquial hyperbole). Can describe both physical and mental fatigue.

Examples

1. 今天工作很累。 Work was very tiring today.
2. 我好累，想休息。 I'm so tired, I want to rest.
3. 跑步以后我很累。 I'm very tired after running.

Usage Guide

Context: physical state, everyday

Tone: descriptive

Do Say

• 我太累了。(I'm too tired.)
• 你累不累？(Are you tired?)

Don't Say

• 我是累。(Don't use 是 with adjectives — say 我很累 or 我累了)

Origin & History

The character originally related to the idea of piling up or accumulation (累积). The meaning of tired developed from the idea of accumulating effort until exhausted.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal