累 lèi, lěi — (lèi) tired, weary; to tire out, to wear out; (lěi) to accumulate, to pile up
lèi (fourth tone, falling) lěi (third tone, dipping)
2 readings — the first is the most common.
(lèi) tired, weary; to tire out, to wear out; (lěi) to accumulate, to pile up
11 strokesRadical 糸Frequency #541
Pinyin
- lèi (fourth tone, falling)most common
- lěi (third tone, dipping)
(lèi) tired, weary; to tire out, to wear out; (lěi) to accumulate, to pile up
Character breakdown
Ideographic description
⿱田糸The sequence reads left to right and describes how the parts are arranged.
- 田shape partA field in the modern shape, but the older graph has 厽, three lumps of earth piled up — things heaped one on another.
- 糸meaning partno entry yetSilk thread: the cord that binds a load together, one item strung after another.
Mnemonic
A load piled up and tied with cord — that is the lěi of 积累, to accumulate. Pile enough on a person and you get the reading everybody meets first: lèi, tired out. Note that it works both ways: 我很累 I am tired, but 这个工作很累人 this job wears you out.
A memory aid written by HSK Guide editors. It is not an etymology and does not describe the historical origin of the character.