厌烦

• Pinyin: yàn fán
• Hanzi breakdown: 厌 = 厂 (shelter) + 犬 (dog) + 甘 (sweet — satiation leads to aversion); 烦 = 火 (fire) + 页 (head — heat rising in the head, agitation)

Meaning

To feel annoyed, fed up, or weary; to be bored or irritated by something that has gone on too long. Suggests a mixture of tedium and mild irritation.

比 无聊 (bored) 程度更深，更强调积累的烦躁感而非单纯的无聊。Often used to describe someone's state after enduring something repetitive, intrusive, or tiresome. Can take a noun complement: 厌烦某事/某人. Related: 厌倦 (wearied, deeper sense of being worn out).

Examples

1. 长期重复同样的工作内容让他逐渐感到厌烦，他开始认真考虑换一个更有挑战性的岗位。 Doing the same tasks day after day gradually wore on him, and he began seriously considering switching to a more challenging position.
2. 邻居每天深夜播放震耳欲聋的音乐，让全楼的住户都深感厌烦，多次向物业投诉却迟迟得不到解决。 A neighbor blasted ear-splitting music late every night, and everyone in the building was fed up. They complained to the property manager repeatedly, but nothing was resolved for a long time.
3. 她对那种毫无实质内容、只是为了刷存在感而发言的会议风格极为厌烦，认为这是对所有参与者时间的严重浪费。 She was extremely fed up with meetings where people said nothing of substance and spoke only to get attention, seeing it as a serious waste of everyone’s time.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday speech, psychology, workplace, social commentary

Tone: negative

Do Say

• 他对公司内部冗长繁琐的审批流程感到极度厌烦，认为这些程序严重阻碍了团队的创新效率和响应速度。(He is deeply fed up with the company's lengthy and cumbersome approval processes, feeling that these procedures seriously hinder the team's innovation efficiency and responsiveness.)
• 面对记者反复追问同一问题，她虽然内心厌烦，但仍保持了克制，以平静的语气给出了简短的回应。(Faced with reporters repeatedly asking the same question, she remained restrained despite her inner irritation and responded briefly in a calm tone.)

Don't Say

• 我厌烦了他非常 — adverbs modify the verb and must precede it; say 我非常厌烦他 or 我对他感到非常厌烦

Origin & History

厌 (fed up/dislike — 厂 cliff/shelter + 犬 dog + 甘 sweet — one who is satiated loses taste; revulsion from excess) + 烦 (vexed/troubled — 火 fire + 页 head — heat in the head, agitation)

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal