Ways to say it
| Mandarin | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 累 | lèi |
| 疲 | pí |
| 疲倦 | píjuàn |
| 疲累 | pílèi |
The term 累 is used to describe being in need of rest or sleep. To express extreme exhaustion colloquially, you can say 累死了 (dead tired). For a playful, highly informal way to describe being extremely exhausted, you might use the phrase 累成狗了.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 疲累 combines 疲 (fatigue) and 累 (tired) to emphasize a heavy sense of physical or mental exhaustion.
Which one should you use?
累 is the most common, everyday way to say 'tired' in spoken Mandarin. In contrast, 疲倦 is a more formal and literary term often used in writing to describe a state of being fatigued or weary. 疲累 combines both concepts to emphasize heavy exhaustion.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the adjective 累 to say 'I am tired', it is natural to include an adverb of degree like 很 (hěn) before it, such as in the phrase 很累, even if you do not strictly mean 'very'.
How do you pronounce it?
lèi
Did you know?
- Some scholars suggest the character 累 originated from an image of men working in a field 田 while women were sewing with thread 糸. This represents the exhausting nature of laboring in the fields.
- The character 疲 contains the radical 疒, which is the 'sick' radical. This suggests that in the Chinese linguistic worldview, being tired is fundamentally viewed as a form of being unwell or ill.
- The character 累 can also mean 'to accumulate' or 'to add'. This creates a linguistic connection between the feeling of being burdened by many things and the physical state of exhaustion.
Examples in context
- 我现在不累。I'm not tired right now.This sentence shows how to use the negative form of 累.Tatoeba #735147 by GlossaMatik, translation #735084 by Darkmaster
- 你覺得累嗎？Are you tired?This sentence is a way to ask someone if they are feeling tired using 累.Tatoeba #3742432 by egg0073, translation #317830 by CK
- 我現在很累。I'm very tired right now.This sentence demonstrates the natural use of an adverb with 累 to express being tired.Tatoeba #5973319 by xjjAstrus, translation #5973901 by Sethlang
- 张先生一整天工作后感到非常疲劳。After working the whole day, Mr. Zhang felt very tired.
- 今天我工作很长时间，累死了！I worked for a long time today, I'm so tired!
- 我整天跑了十几公里，累成狗了！I ran over ten kilometers today, I'm dog tired!
- 184 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
At home in the evening.
- 雨婷 Yuting伟，你累吗？Wěi, nǐ lèi ma?Wei, are you tired?
- 伟 Wei我很累，想睡覺。Wǒ hěn lèi, xiǎng shuìjiào.I am very tired and want to sleep.
- 雨婷 Yuting那快去休息吧。Nà kuài qù xiūxi ba.Then go rest quickly.
- 伟 Wei好的，晚安。Hǎo de, wǎn'ān.Okay, goodnight.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tired” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 疲, 累, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
