负担

• Pinyin: fù dān
• Hanzi breakdown: 负 = 贝 (shell/money) on a person's back — to bear a load; 担 = 扌(hand) + 旦 (dawn) — to carry on the shoulder

Meaning

Burden; load; to bear a cost or responsibility. Can function as both a noun describing a heavy obligation and a verb meaning to shoulder it.

As a noun, refers to financial, physical, or psychological burdens. As a verb, means to bear or shoulder a cost or responsibility. Common collocations include 经济负担 (financial burden), 减轻负担 (lighten the burden), and 负担不起 (cannot afford).

Examples

1. 学费太高，给家里增加了不少负担。 The tuition is too high, adding quite a burden to the family.
2. 这些工作你一个人能负担得了吗？ Can you handle all this work by yourself?
3. 为了减轻父母的负担，他决定去打工。 To lighten his parents' burden, he decided to get a part-time job.

Usage Guide

Context: family, economics

Tone: concerned

Do Say

• 房租是我每个月最大的负担。(Rent is my biggest burden every month.)
• 这次旅行的费用由公司负担。(The company will bear the costs of this trip.)

Don't Say

• 他负担了一个箱子 (Don't use 负担 for physically carrying objects — use 搬 or 扛; 负担 refers to abstract or financial burdens)

Origin & History

负 (to carry on the back, with 贝 shell/money on a person's back) + 担 (to shoulder). Both characters relate to carrying loads, creating a strong image of bearing weight.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal